Scottish Rock Garden Club Forum
Cultivation => Cultivation Problems => Topic started by: Gerdk on December 27, 2018, 05:58:40 PM
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This is Paeonia lutea var. ludlowii from today.
I noticed (not only in 2018) that this plant did not shed its leaves, which makes an unpleasant appearance.
So I want to know if this is a normal behaviour for this species. A Paeonia rockii nearby does not resent this problem.
Gerd
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In a group of plants here that started as individual plants of Paeonia lutea var. ludlowii and Paeonia delavayi, there is now a "copse" of hybrid plants some of which are now bare stems, some with brown leaves and some still with green leaves. In a mild year the green persists until spring, but usually they all eventually drop. My P. rockii has dropped its leaves but often retains it's leaf stems well into spring unless I tidy it up.
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My previous garden was really windy so anything not actually tied down would disappear over the horizon but in the sheltered garden I have now I've noticed a few peonies, including a couple of Itohs retaining their old leaves. On my plants I don't think it is a disease but I've run my hands through them to clean the plants up, partly for aesthetic reasons but also to discourage any fungal attack if we get a mild, damp winter. On your plant I can't tell from the photo - were there black areas on the leaves before they turned brown? If so that may indicate some botrytis which is one of the biggest problems with peonies, although ludlowii is usually quite resistant. I would however strip the leaves off anyway...
Useful guide to peony problems here;
http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/Portals/0/Gardening/Gardening%20Help/Visual%20Guides/Peony%20Problems.pdf (http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/Portals/0/Gardening/Gardening%20Help/Visual%20Guides/Peony%20Problems.pdf)
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Thank you both for advices!
The Peony guide is very useful indeed!
I would however strip the leaves off anyway...
Already done -
Gerd