From Bud to Bloom: How to Plant, Grow, and Care for Stunning Peonies in Your Garden
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Planting
Where to Plant Peonies
Peonies make fine sentinels lining walkways or a lovely low hedge. After their stunning bloom, the peony’s bushy clump of handsome, glossy green leaves lasts all summer and then turns purplish-red or gold in the fall. It is as stately and dignified as any flowering shrub.
In mixed borders, peonies bloom with columbines, baptisias, and veronicas and combine well with irises and roses. Plant white peonies with yellow irises and a froth of forget-me-nots; set off pink peonies with blue nepeta or violets.
- Peonies are not too fussy, but choose your location wisely as they resent disturbance and do not transplant well.
- Peonies like full sun, and though they can manage with half a day, they bloom best in a sunny spot that gets 6 to 8 hours of sunlight each day. In southern states, provide some shade.
- Provide shelter from strong winds, as peonies’ large blooms can make them top-heavy. (Use stakes to hold them up, if necessary.) Don’t plant too close to trees or shrubs, as peonies don’t like to compete for food, light, and moisture.
- When growing peonies, plant in deep, fertile, humus-rich, moist soil that drains well. The soil pH should be neutral.
- They are cold hardy, so any place you need an overcoat makes them happiest—they require a cold period for bud formation, a frustration to some southern gardeners.
When to Plant Peonies
Peony plants require little maintenance as long as they are planted properly and establish themselves. Note, however, that they do not respond well to transplanting, so you should plan your planting site accordingly.
- Plant peonies in the fall: in late September and October in most of the U.S., and even later in the fall in Zones 7 and 8 (Find your planting zone here).
- If you must move a mature plant, fall is the time to do it—specifically, when the plant has gone dormant.
- Peonies should be settled into place about 6 weeks before the ground freezes.
- Although it’s certainly possible to plant peonies in the spring, spring-planted peonies don’t do as well. Experts agree: they generally lag about a year behind those planted in the fall.
How to Plant Peonies
- Peonies are usually sold as bare-root tubers with 3 to 5 eyes (buds), divisions of a 3- or 4-year-old plant.
- Space peonies 3 to 4 feet apart to allow for good air circulation between the plants. Stagnant, humid air can be a recipe for disease to develop.
- Dig a generous-sized hole, about 2 feet deep and 2 feet across, in well-draining soil in a sunny spot. The soil will benefit from the addition of organic material in the planting hole. If the soil is heavy or very sandy, enrich it with extra compost. Incorporate about one cup of bone meal into the soil. Learn more about soil amendments and preparing soil for planting.
- Set the root so the eyes face upward on top of a mound of soil in the hole, placing the roots just 2 inches below the soil surface. Don’t plant too deep! (In southern states, choose early-blooming varieties, plant them about 1 inch deep, and provide some shade.)
- Then, backfill the hole, taking care that the soil doesn’t settle, and bury the root deeper than 2 inches. Tamp the soil gently.
- When planting a container-grown peony, cover it no deeper than it grew in the pot.
- Water thoroughly at the time of planting.
Types
In the 1930s and 1940s, plant catalogs listed only three peony choices: white, crimson, and rose pink. Today, thousands of varieties are available.
There are six main peony flower types: anemone, single, Japanese, semidouble, double, and bomb. Fragrances vary as well—some plants, such as ‘Festiva Maxima’ and ‘Duchesse de Nemours’, have intoxicating rose-like scents, while others are lemony or have no scent at all.
Peonies bloom between late spring and early summer, but you can plan your garden for a successive display of flowers from mid-May to late June by planting various varieties. Here are some choices:
- Anemone (an advanced Japanese form)—‘Laura Dessert’: cream/pale lemon to white; strong fragrance; early-season
- Single (one row of petals)—‘Sparkling Star’: deep pink; early- to midseason
- Japanese (decorative centers)—‘Carrara’: white, with soft yellow centers; fragrant; midseason
- Semidouble (five or more guard petals and prominent centers)—‘Pink Hawaiian Coral’: pink to coral rose form; slight fragrance; early-season
- Double (large petals, needs support)—‘Candy Stripe’: white, with red streaks; slight fragrance; mid- to late-season
- Bomb (large, like a scoop of petals)—‘Angel Cheeks’: soft pink; slight fragrance; midseason
- Consider, too, the Itoh peony: Named after its developer, Japanese botanist Dr. Toichi Itoh (d. 1956), this flower is a cross between a herbaceous (bush) peony and a tree peony. Its large single, semidouble, and double blooms appear later in the season and last longer than traditional peonies.
Harvesting
Keeping Peony Flowers in a Vase
Peonies make wonderful cut flowers and last more than a week in a vase. For best results, cut long stems in the morning when the buds are still fairly tight.
You can wrap freshly cut peony stems in a damp paper towel and put them in a plastic bag in the refrigerator until you’re ready to use them. When removing the peonies from the refrigerator, give the stems a fresh cut and place them in lukewarm water to wake them up.
While peonies do not need to be divided like other plants, fall is a good time to divide or transplant if your plants are too large. Remove the leaves, then dig around the plant’s roots in a large circle, and lift. If dividing, ensure a new section has at least 3 to 5 eyes. Replant.
Pests/Diseases
Peonies are generally very hardy. Plus, peonies are also one of many deer-resistant plants you can grow in your garden.
However, they are susceptible to:
- Verticillium wilt
- Ringspot virus
- Tip blight
- Stem rot
- Botrytis blight
- Leaf blotch
- Japanese beetles
- Nematodes
- Aphids
FAQ
Why are there ants on my peonies?
Many gardeners wonder why so many ants crawl on the peony buds. Don’t worry! They are just eating the peony’s nectar in exchange for attacking bud-eating pests. They are attracted to the sugary droplets on the outside of flower buds or to the honeydew produced by scale insects and aphids. Never spray the ants; they’re helping you by keeping your peonies safe!
Why are my peonies not blooming?
There are a few reasons why your peonies fail to bloom. If it is planted too deep (the eyes should only be about 2 inches below the soil), it will lead to beautiful foliage but very few flower buds. Depending on your fertilizing schedule, it may be receiving too much or too little fertilizer. Also, remember not to remove the foliage too early in the season. Wait for the foliage to die back naturally before removing it after the first frost.
Peonies need a certain amount of cold weather in the winter to set buds and to flower. If you live in a warmer location, your peonies may be getting just enough cold weather to produce the buds, but not enough to make them flower.
Bud blast can also be the cause since it results in buds turning brown and shriveling up. The best thing to do is to make sure it has the ideal growing environment in terms of sun, fertilizer, cold winter temps, and proper planting depth.
Can I plant the seed pods on my peonies?
The pods that remain on your peonies will contain seeds. You can collect the seeds when the pods turn dark brown and slightly crack open. To make sure that you don’t lose seeds to birds or weather, tie nylon or small mesh bags around maturing seed pods before they split open to catch any seeds that may fall. Ripe seeds can be planted immediately after collection.
Peony seeds require a warm/cold cycle to produce their first true leaves in the spring. In nature, seeds are dispersed on warm late summer to autumn days and quickly germinate. By winter, they form small roots. They are then dormant during the winter before emerging in the spring. Press peony seeds into the ground at no more than a 1/2 inch depth. Then cover with an inch of wood chips to provide protection.
You can certainly dry and save seeds for future planting, but dry seed takes longer to hydrate than fresh seed, and dormancy is more difficult to break.
Can I grow peonies indoors?
Yes, you can, although they are best grown outdoors. Inside, you’ll need to provide enough light (about 6 to 8 hours); if you don’t have enough natural daylight, a grow light can help. It is also necessary to give them a period of cold (about 3 to 6 weeks, depending on variety, of temperatures between 32 and 40 degrees F) over winter, which is needed for flowering. If you live in a cold climate, this can sometimes be done by leaving the pot in a cool garage or shed, with the top of the soil covered with straw to protect the roots once plants are dormant; remove the straw at the first sign of growth in spring.
Select a variety of peony that is shorter (not those that can grow to 4 to 6 feet, for example); if you live in a warm climate, choose a variety that does not need as long a period of cold (aka “chilling hours”) over winter. Plant in fall or spring. Choose a heavy pot (ideally, not terracotta) that is about 18 to 24 inches wide and deep, with drainage holes, and fill with rich, well-draining potting soil. Keep soil evenly moist but not soggy; when plants are established, you can let the soil dry out a tiny bit before watering deeply.
Catherine Boeckmann
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Yes, the whole thing goes into the soil. Find the little “eyes”—something like potato “eyes:—they should face up, be on the “up” side.The tube should be placed in/on the soil almost horizontally; the tuber does not get planted “the long way”—it should pretty much lay on its side. And yes, you’re right_planted 1 to 2 inches deep.
I have some peonies that I planted a few years ago. The first year was a drought year, and they died. Or so i thought. After a year or two of more moisture, they began to grow. I was amazed, and figured they must have gone dormant and now would grow nicely. Not so. Some are nice and bushy, but others have one or two tiny stalks. Is there any way to save these "resurrected" peonies? Should I dig them up and try again, in case they are too deep?
So some are thriving? It is amazing! Although generally speaking, peonies are pretty drought resistant (at least, that’s the thinking). You could check the depth of the weaker ones with the tiny stalks, and while you’re at it check their overall condition. If there is damage or any signs of disease (rot) or dryness and discard, if necessary. Fall is the best time to do this.
Overall, you might also check your soil pH; peonies like 6.5 to 7.0. See here for more on that: http://www.almanac.com/content/ph-preferences
You might also just reconsider the growing conditions: soil quality, sunlight, moisture. Above, we advise low to no fertilizer, but if you want to give your plants a boost, a “complete” fertilizer (5-10-5 or 5-10-10) at 2 to 3 ponds per 100 square feet in the spring (or very soon) would be ok. So would, alternatively, an inch or so of aged manure.
If these steps fail to bring the wee ones back to thriving condition by next year, then you should think about replacing them—in which case before you spend any money, you could see if the existing plants can/should be divided.
We hope this helps.
Can peonies be grown in pots if there deep enough?
A large group of peonies were thriving when we bought our house in N Central NJ 10 years ago. Now some seem to be failing - some of the smaller plants have simply disappeared, the larger ones are much less full than in past years. We had a weird warm spell in January where many flowers came up and were on the verge of blooming, then another cold snap. Could this have stunted the peonies? What can I do to bring them back to health?
It’s not clear: did your peonies come up in January? Or did “many other flowers”? That would be a pretty warm spell!
Based on your comment that the peonies are failing, we will suggest that some viruses may stunt and/or deform the growth and cause steady decline. Your best bet would be to replace them with new plants. However, before you do that, you might also take a picture and put the question to a nursery person near you. And ask if it is safe to replant in the same soil. (We can not get a straight answer on that point.)
My neighbor has peonies that I have admired and even been able to enjoy in my home. So I was wondering if using some of those pods would grow some more peonies?
How would I go about it though? I'm thinking there are seeds in there???
there comes a time when peonies require thinning. This is when you can or should collect the ROOTS for starting your own bed of flowers.
I purchased three tubers and planted in the fall as recommended. I get leaves but no flowers. One of the plants had two or three flowers the first spring, but last year and this year I just get the plant with loses of leaves. The other two never bloomed. This is the third spring since planting. What can I do to get flowers? I live in Michigan.
My peony plants, about 12 years old, are doing poorly, and the roots are coming to the surface. My guess is it is because there is a Japanese Maple tree planted nearby, and it is sucking up too many nutrients, and pushing the peony roots up?
