On 18 Nov 2003 08:35:32 GMT, (Nick Maclaren) wrote:

~
~In article ,
~"Franz Heymann" writes:
~|
~| (1) What cultivars do you recommend for a pot?
~
~Dunno.
~
~| (2) Will it survive a winter high up in Wensleydale?
~
~Dunno. They are fairly tough, but the flower buds are prone to
~being frosted.
~
~| (3) What size pot would be required?
~
~I grow mine in about a 15" pot, and it seems happy.
~
I've got one in a 20" plastic pot and it's now up to 8' tall after 4
years. Currently covered with buds for next spring... Dunno about the
cultivar - it is a pink peony form. The only problem with them in pots
is their need for a considerable amount of rainwater in July/August or
they don't form enough buds for the next year. This year I had to
resort to using my rather alkaline tap water, mixed with ericaceous
liquid fertiliser as there was no rainwater left, but it seems to have
done ok.

Fleece is your friend with the frosts!

I personally love the formal doubles. I have got a tiny one from Marks
and Spencer of all places, which is scarlet - an Australian-raised
variety C. Japonica 'Roger Hall' and I'm hoping it has a few decent
flowers on next year. It's the same size the other one was when I got
it, so I have high hopes...

It doesn't get very badly frosted either. The trick is to have the
darker colours I think, as my Dad (edge Peak District in NE
Derbyshire, 130m above sea level) finds that his pale ones frazzle
before the buds have even opened.

The other thing he's found is that you can get away with chopping them
back quite severely. He cut back two elderly and unwieldy potted ones
to 6" stumps because they were outgrowing their situation (and the
pots are concrete so couldn't be shifted easily!) and they are
resprouting! So they got a stay of execution...

This might well be useful to the OP!


--
jane

Don't part with your illusions. When they are gone,
you may still exist but you have ceased to live.
Mark Twain

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