Perfect peonies
Nursery owner Claire Austin grows over 100 different herbaceous peonies in her garden and trials field to find the very best
Nursery owner Claire Austin is an expert in herbaceous perennials, and grows over 100 cultivars of peony
The name Claire Austin is synonymous with herbaceous plants. Her nursery in mid Wales is often the first stop for many plant lovers looking for hardy perennials. Among the specialist plant collections that she offers is one of her personal passions: peonies – and there are plenty to be found both in her nursery and her garden. “My father [the rose specialist David Austin] started a peony collection in the early 1980s,” says Claire. “When he abandoned them in favour of roses, I took over.”
Two acres of Claire’s five-acre nursery are given over to peonies where she grows more than 100 different species and cultivars. “I usually stick with my favourites, such as ‘Dinner Plate’, ‘Elsa Sass’ and ‘Sarah Bernhardt’,” she says. “But it varies from year to year. If something new comes along and is worthwhile, it will certainly be included.” Her peonies are field grown and sold as bare-root plants as she says these establish better than those grown in pots, where the roots can become restricted. They’re plants she feels have much to offer gardeners. Easy to grow and requiring little maintenance, they are sculptural in spring when the stems emerge, have architectural foliage and glorious flowers, so provide several seasons of interest. They start flowering in mid May with the early hybrids and species and reach their climax in mid June.
Many also make excellent cut flowers and can last longer in water than roses, although the strength of their perfume can vary. “Some fill a room, particularly ‘Monsieur Jules Elie’, whose fragrance reminds me of roses; others, such as ‘Bowl of Beauty’, you only notice when the flowers are in a warm room and the perfume of ‘Shirley Temple’ is so subtle, it only becomes apparent when you gently bury your nose among the soft petals.”
If you are growing for cutting, you’ll need patience, as it can take three years or more, depending on soil conditions, for the best cutting cultivars to produce enough blooms. Claire cuts flowers at random to discover which are best and always cuts them just as they are opening. “I never condition them,” she says. “Too much trouble, they are just thrust into a vase and I enjoy their beauty.”
Peonies also feature widely in her own garden, which she started planting in 2011. Currently, it covers an area of around an acre – although it is constantly being extended – and is divided into four square borders, all freely planted in a cottage garden style. “Peonies are better planted with companions that complement rather than contrast,” says Claire. Hardy geraniums, such as Geranium Dragon Heart (= ‘Bremdra’) and G. ‘Blue Cloud’, Alchemilla mollis and salvias, work well, and Claire extends interest with asters, heleniums and late-f lowering Aconitum carmichaelii ‘Arendsii’. “I use the garden to learn about plants, and how they grow,” explains Claire. “It’s also where I experiment to find the best combinations. In a garden you can see the rhythm of the planting and look at them as individuals.”
Many peonies, also have glorious autumn colour; a feature that is often overlooked. “The colour is richer if they have been well watered followed by cold, frosty nights. During dry summers they tend to colour up early – even in late August.” Wherever the season, peonies always enjoy the chance to shine. USEFUL INFORMATION Address Claire Austin Hardy Plants, White Hopton Farm, Wern Lane, Sarn, Newtown, Powys SY16 4EN. Tel 01686 670342. Web claireaustin-hardyplants.co.uk Open Garden and nursery open 2 June 2018, 10am-4pm.