It started slow, as is often the case when you take something for granted without realizing it. Then suddenly, there is an undeniable change that demands a radical change your plans. No, I am not talking about weight gain, an annoying ache in your shoulder, or hot flashes. I’m talking about the Beal Peony Collection at Landis.
You may wonder, what peony collection? Once a prominent year-round feature at the Arboretum, lately it’s been easier to miss, except by chance. A fuschia-colored flower catches your eye while you’re glancing up toward the Meeting House from behind the barn in June. “What IS that?” you may ask and hike up the small hill to explore. Just to the right of the stunning specimen bald cypress are over a dozen peony plants tucked into their own garden. The space is defined by a quaint stone wall, a walkway, a sign – and unfortunately a lot of weeds, invasive buckthorn, a large plot of Japanese knotweed, and grass. We knew it was time to reclaim the collection.
Over the years, the collection has been a great project for volunteers to “adopt.” It offered shade! and I remember many times a group of us would pull weeds, put down cardboard around the plants, and pile on mulch. It would look neat and tidy, and everyone would feel that something was accomplished-- until the following season. Then we noticed fewer flowers and leaves. The peonies were not flourishing. We wondered if animals were eating the top growth or digging up the tubers, but we found no evidence of that.
Further investigation determined that the plants had become settled too deeply into the soil, and the site was getting shadier each season with the encroaching overgrowth. To let in more light, we removed dead and invasive plants during the summer,and in late August we dug up each peony and spent many days thoroughly weeding out the wiry grass that had grown tightly over the area. We replanted each peony an inch below the surface and added a layer of compost and mulched the entire garden. The root systems of many of the plants were sparse with minimal “eyes” (a dormant bud that will grow into next year's stem/leaf/flower), and the area was extremely dry due to drought. We now water the bed each day and are allowing the plants to properly shut down as they would naturally, not removing any foliage until late fall.
Next spring the collection will be treated with an organic slow release granular fertilizer, and we hope to see positive results from our efforts, though it will likely take up to four years to see full and abundant blooms again. For the next few years, the plants will be focusing on re-establishing their root systems instead of flowering. We also plan to add more plants if needed to ensure our peony collection keeps growing.