Companion plants for peonies can be
those that bloom at the same time, or fill in the space after the peony
has stopped blooming, or are simply beneficial to their companions.
This last definition is the one used by most organic gardeners. Companion
plants of this type usually ward off insects to which the other flower
is most vulnerable. for me, companion plants for peonies means both
those that bloom at the same time, as well as those that will look good
as fillers after the peonies have bloomed.
I
really like to have something blooming in each area from spring through
fall. For Spring,
I plant tulips and daffodils underneath later spring bloomers (which
hopefully will cover up some of the yellowing bulb leaves). Foxglove
and Lupine are also among the earliest bloomers. Irises, painted daisies,
african daisies, and wallflower follow.
In late spring and early summer, Oriental Poppies, Peonies,
Delphinium and Irises of all types make a show in the same places the
tulips, hyacinths and daffodils occupy.
Midsummer brings Shasta Daisies, Victorian Sage, Rudbeckia,
Geum, Gaillardia, and of course, Day Lilies.
For later summer through fall, penstemmons, Monarda,
Phlox, Snapdragons, Zinnias and garden Chrysanthemums fill in ant bare
areas left by flowers that have bloomed for the season.
Some
favorites for blooming at the same time as peonies include:
Bearded and Siberian Iris, Jupiter's Beard, Oriental and Himalayan Poppies,
Allium and assorted late spring-blooming bulbs, purple Wallflower or
Bowle's Hybrid Mauve, Foxglove, Delphinium and Victorian Sage. On the
next few pages are a few examples of this combination.
But when we are talking companion plants for the peony, the Iris
is my favorite. Bearded, intermediate, Siberian, Japanese,
German, any kind of iris! In the front yard, irises stretch as far as
you can see, and continue on, on both sides of the driveway. Spread
between the irises are more peonies, white Jupiter's Beard, Gentle Shepard
Day Lillies, Purple Victorian sage, and Red Java Wigelia bushes. Some
of these are blooming now, some will come later this summer.
To see more pictures of irises, go to the Iris Gallery. For more information and great pictures of Siberian Irises, see Jim's Iris Page Or, go to the next two pages, to see "Some Good Blues and Pinks".