Read interesting facts about farmer's rose vs. peony here. This guide has planting, care and cutting tips for every floral beauty known as a farmer's rose.
What is a farmer's rose?
The farmer's rose is a collective term for two popular perennials in the farmer's garden: the hollyhock (Alcea rosea) and the peony (Paeonia officinalis). Both are characterized by magnificent, rose-like flowers and decorate the garden with their romantic look in spring and summer.
Profile
- Definition: rose-like flower in the cottage garden
- Synonyms: farmer's rose, farmer's peony,
- Genera: Hollyhocks, Peonies
- Occurrence: Europe, Asia
- Growth type: Perennial
- Growth habit: upright
- Flower shape: single flower, single, double
- Flowering time: spring or summer
- Toxicity: slightly toxic or non-toxic
- Winter hardiness: hardy
- Garden style: cottage garden, country house garden
Farmer Rose vs. Peony
The profile shows that the term farmer's rose refers to two of the most beautiful perennials native to Europe. The following table presents a compact comparison of outstanding properties:
| Comparison | Hollyhock | Peony |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific name | Alcea rosea | Paeonia officinalis |
| Common name | Farmer rose, garden hollyhock | Farmer Peony, Common Peony |
| Family | Mallow family | Peonies |
| Growth type | biennial perennials | Bulb flowers, rarely as a shrub |
| Growth habit | upright stems, few branches | upright stems, unbranched |
| Growth heights | 100 cm to 200 cm | 40 cm to 100 cm |
| Flowering time | June to October | May to June |
| Flower shape | simple to generously filled | simple to fluffy filled |
| Leaf | round, felty hairy | three-piece, bald |
| Toxicity | non-toxic | slightly toxic |
Growth type
Hollyhocks thrive as biennials or perennials. In the first year they form a basal rosette of round, tomentose leaves. In the second year, an upright, strong, rough-haired stem with distributed leaves rises from this rosette. The stem, which is up to 200 centimeters high, bears its large flowers in the upper leaf axils and as a terminal, spike-shaped inflorescence.
Peonies usually form thick, woody rhizomes in the shape of a tuber. A single, leafy and unbranched herbaceous stem sprouts from this survival organ. The stem leaves are stalked, three-part, dark green on top and reach a diameter of up to 30 centimeters. Peonies rarely grow as a shrub or sub-shrub. In this case it is Paeonia suffruticosa or intersectional (Itoh) hybrids from China, which are not directly related to the term farmer's rose.
Flowering time
Our comparison of farmer's rose vs. peony reveals that the flowering times of both types of flowers merge seamlessly. Once the peony has finished its flower festival, it passes the floral baton to the hollyhock. In the planting plan for a continuously blooming cottage garden, creative hobby gardeners reserve a location for both cottage roses.
With its lavish double flowers, the common peony spreads its rural, romantic charm in vases and beds several weeks before hollyhocks bloom. In the following video, a peony expert has useful tips for you.
Video: Peonies - fresh spring flowers for vases and beds
Toxicity
Hollyhocks are not poisonous and are therefore the ideal farm roses for the family garden. The felty hair on the plants only serves to protect against cold and loss of moisture. Skin contact with leaves, stems or flowers is harmless.
Peonies are classified as slightly toxic because the plants contain, among other things, the alkaloid paeonin. Intentional or unintentional consumption may cause nausea and vomiting. Peonies were grown as medicinal plants in cottage gardens until the 19th century. For example, Hildegard von Bingen attested that farmers' roses had healing powers against epilepsy, fever, gout and gynecological diseases.
Planting a farmer's rose
The best time to plant farmer's roses is in autumn. The time window for planting in pots opens in April. The correct planting technique depends on whether it is the biennial hollyhock or the long-lived peony. The following short instructions explain the details:
Plants in pots
The optimal substrate for planting in containers is nutrient-rich, loose and permeable and contains no peat. Soak the root ball or root tuber in water for an hour until no more air bubbles appear. Meanwhile, cover the bottom of the pot with shards of pottery or expanded clay as drainage. The correct planting depth guarantees successful growth:
- Planting depth hollyhock: root ball just below the surface of the soil
- Planting depth of peony tuber: 3 cm to 4 cm
- Planting depth of peony bush: grafting point 10 cm to 15 cm
Press the soil firmly with both hands and water the planted farmer's roses thoroughly. After 15 minutes, pour out the water that has accumulated in the saucer.
Plants in the bed
Planting in the bed is preceded by careful soil preparation. Dig the soil to the depth of a spade, removing weeds, old roots and stones. Rake the planting site several times to create a fine, crumbly substrate. Add horn shavings or sifted compost soil to the planting hole of the tuber or bush of a farmer's peony. Over the years, a peony reaches a diameter of up to 100 centimeters. The planting distance should be correspondingly generous.
You have two options to choose from when planting hollyhocks in beds. Sowing seeds directly into the autumn cottage garden is easy and cost-effective. Separate the strongest seedlings at a distance of 50 centimeters. A thick layer of leaves protects the young farmer's roses from frost and snow. Alternatively, grow hollyhocks on the windowsill and place the young plants in the bed with a support rod from May onwards.
Location
Hollyhocks are the sun worshipers among farmer's roses. Peonies can also cope with a partially shaded location. However, compromises in the abundance of flowers must be accepted. When it comes to soil quality, both flower beauties pull together. The soil should be nutrient-rich, fresh, moist and well-drained.
Excursus
Double flowers are not a pasture for bees
Natural gardeners have a heart for distressed bees and combine farmer's rose varieties with double and single flowers. The double flowers are just a feast for the eyes, because the strenuous search for nectar and pollen is a wasted effort for insects. A richly laid table awaits bees, bumblebees and butterflies in the palm-sized flowers of farm roses.
Care for farmer's rose
Regular watering in dry conditions is a gardening requirement for magnificent farmer's roses. To prevent peonies from leaving their impressive flower heads hanging sadly, a perennial holder is recommended. Please place a support pole next to majestic hollyhocks as protection against wind. Read more important care tips in the following sections:
Cutting
With the right pruning care, you can get opulent flowers and an extra long flowering period from farm roses. Hollyhocks can be encouraged to grow for several years by pruning them at the right time. When pruning a peony, you should know whether it is a perennial, a subshrub or a shrub. The cutting takes into account the plant species in question. This is how it works:
- Hollyhock: after flowering, cut off the withered stem above the rosette of leaves, cut off the wilted leaves in February.
- Common peony: in February, cut off dead parts of the plant to 5 cm with a perennial sickle or knife.
- Shrub peony: cut rarely or not at all, occasionally thin out in late winter.
- Itoh peonies: Cut back subshrubs in February/March until just before the woody area.
By regularly cleaning out withered flowers, you clear the way for new buds on your farmer's rose.
Propagate
If you leave one or two flower stalks on hollyhocks until late winter, the farmer's roses will sow themselves. For controlled propagation, collect the dried seed capsules in late summer and autumn. Ideally, you should sow the small, brown seeds immediately in the desired location. In regions with mild winters, the leaf rosettes form in the same year, so you can enjoy the romantic flower fairytale next season.
For the successful propagation of a farmer's peony, we recommend dividing it in autumn. Cut the shoots back close to the ground. Then dig up the rhizome. Divide the tuber into segments with three to five eyes each. At the new location, plant the sections three to five centimeters deep in nutrient-rich, permeable soil.
Diseases
As a mallow family, hollyhocks most often suffer from mallow rust (Puccinia malvacearum). The unmistakable symptom is yellow leaves with reddish-brown pustules on the undersides. Remove infected leaves promptly and dispose of them in household waste. It is not necessary to resort to chemical treatment because pruning in late summer puts an end to the disease.
Peonies occasionally suffer from gray mold (Botrytis paeoniae). The common fungal disease can be recognized by wilted shoots and dried buds. Cut off affected stems as quickly as possible. Clean the cutting tool with rubbing alcohol before and after cutting. Dispose of the clippings in organic waste.
Fertilize
Provide a farmer's rose in spring with organic fertilizer, such as compost and horn shavings. Add an organic liquid fertilizer (€13.00 on Amazon) or worm tea to the irrigation water in the bucket every two weeks. Mineral fertilizers cause yellow leaves on peonies and hollyhocks.
Popular varieties
An exuberant variety of beautiful farmer's roses leaves nothing to be desired, as the following selection shows:
- Alcea rosea 'Polarstar': bright white cup flowers until autumn, picturesque fence peeper.
- Alcea rosea 'Blacknight': dark purple-black, unfilled flowers, long-lasting variety, beautiful bee pasture.
- Alcea rosea 'Pleniflora': lush, double, light yellow flowers from July to October.
- Paeonia 'Apricot Queen': apricot-colored cup flowers with yellow stamens, 80 to 90 cm tall.
- Paeonia 'Admiral': puffy, double, violet flowers, height 90 to 100 cm.
- Paeonia 'Blushing Princess': semi-double, pink flowers, wonderful scent, very early flowering period.
FAQ
My peony is not blooming. What is it?
If farmer's peonies don't bloom, there are various reasons behind the dilemma. Incorrect planting depth is the most common reason. The tuber of a perennial peony may be three to five centimeters deep into the soil. The grafting point for a shrub peony is a maximum of 15 centimeters deep into the ground. Furthermore, the farmer's rose keeps its flowers under lock and key in a shady location and in waterlogged, compacted soil. Last but not least, delayed ground frosts destroy flower buds that have already formed.
How should farmer's peonies be cut for the vase?
For the vase, only cut stems with solid-colored buds. The green bracts should already be opening. When lightly pressed with your finger, the buds feel elastic and soft. When placing it in the vase, ideally leave two leaves on the flower stem as an additional source of supply for the flowers.
How does a farmer's rose overwinter properly in a pot?
The winter hardiness of farmer's roses is limited in the pot. After the first frost, it is advisable to move to the wall of the house that is protected from the wind. Place the bucket on a block of wood and wrap the container with bubble wrap and winter fleece. Cover the substrate with bark mulch, leaves, wood shavings or straw. Postpone the pruning until late winter because the dead plant parts are useful as natural winter protection.
