Origin Pillow Talk Roots

The Pillow Talk variety belongs to the Lactiflora category within the peony spectrum. Lactiflora peonies originate from the eastern parts of Asia, China and Siberia where they were grown mainly as ornamentals. During the 18th century the Lactiflora peony was first introduced in Europe, mainly in England and spread all over Europe from there as it increased in popularity.

Characteristics

Paeonia Lactiflora ‘Pillow Talk’
Peony Pillow talk is a double, pink colored lactiflora that will flower late in the season. The extremely large pink flower buds have the tendency to blow themselves up during the maturity process, they can become twice the size just before opening up into the very large bright pink colored flowers. Pillow Talk is medium productive, has thick and sturdy stems and a dark green plant. This variety will perform well in all climates including greenhouse cultivation. Pillow Talk is considered to be a challenger to the good and old Sarah Bernhardt as a cut flower peony variety.

Root Cutting procedure

The process of cutting/dividing peony roots consists of a few steps. First of all your “mother” peony plant should be harvested and cleaned so all eyes on the plant are clearly visible. After that the peony root can be divided in multiple smaller peony roots by cutting them. This is mostly done by using a large knife. As a rule of thumb a small peony root should contain a minimum of 2/3 eyes in order to enjoy flowers in the years after planting. After cutting the roots into multiple smaller roots the roots undergo a warm water treatment and a treatment that prevents diseases.

Plant care Pillow Talk Roots

Peony plants do like the sun, plant them in a place where they can at least enjoy 6 hours of sunlight during the spring and summer. Peony plants can be planted during the autumn. They do not like places where they will be a lot of standing water. It’s important to remove any possible weeds around the plant during the flower season in order to reach its full potential. As far as fertilization goes, you can fertilize the plants 2 times a year with a fertilizer that has a low nitrogen content, this is usually done in the spring and autumn, right before and after the flower season. In the autumn when the leaves turn brown and start dying, the plant can be pruned. Cut of all the leaves 3 to 5 centimeters above the soil.

Flower care

One of the most important aspects of having a quality peony flower on the vase is the moment of harvesting. Every variety has its own harvesting moment to ensure maximum quality and vase life. As a consumer in general it’s important that the peony bud has some “color” on the bud and that the flower is already slightly opening at the moment of buying your peony flowers. If the bud is firmly closed, chances are that the flower will not open. When putting your peony flowers in a vase it’s important to use a clean vase, clean water and use some sort of cut flower food or fertilizer to ensure maximum vase life. It’s also important to remove some if the leaves so no leaves will touch the water in your vase. Keep the peony flowers away from fruits and direct sunlight and enjoy your beautiful peony flowers.

Curious about our full range? View all our peony roots.