
From Bud to Bloom: How to Plant, Grow, and Care for Stunning Peonies in Your Garden
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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.
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Last year in the middle of May, I purchased some containered Peonies, then started researching them.(Always research first) After learning that planting them at that time was not recommended, I was heartbroken but decided to give it a shot anyway.(expecting disaster) To my surprise, I have big beautiful plants with buds that are getting ready to bloom! The recommendations to growing peonies are just a guide. The “best” way to grow these beautiful flowers, isn’t the only way. I basically did everything wrong, according to the guide. These amazing plants proved their hardiness!
In the spring, plant peonies as soon as the ground is no longer frozen. While there’s still a chance of frost, it would be a good idea to put a layer (1–2 inches) of mulch over the planting area. If your peony already has foliage, you’ll want to cover it with a sheet on nights when there’s a danger of frost.
When there’s no longer a risk of frost, remove the mulch. (A thin layer can be left to help conserve moisture, but peonies don’t like to be planted too deeply.) Your peony likely won’t bloom this year, but should be well established by next spring!
I bought mine to-day 17th April 2018 when should I plat it?
I have the same question,Please. I purchased mine a week ago.
My peonies are appearing and the forecast is predicting snow and unseasonable cold temps ... do I need to do anything to protect my plants? I also have beautiful tree peonies that are budding .... do I need to do anything to protect the trees?
Thank you!
The plant is approximately 30 years old. I do not think it has ever been cut back. It is about 5.5 feet tall with leaves at the top and another group of leaves half way up the plant. It blooms well. Is it too old to be cut back to the ground this fall?
We will presume, because you asked this question on this page, that the plant is a peony. (If it’s not, disregard the following.) Peonies are perennials but they grow from their root annually. Peony leaves would naturally die back and the stems would naturally shrivel and collapse in the fall, and they would possibly even decay over the winter. So whether you cut it back or not, it dies back. If it is a peony, you can cut it back in the fall.
I received a peony in a as a gift for my new house last spring and it is still in a pot awaiting the landscaping to be installed. Will it survive if I have to leave it in the pot until fall?
If you have maintained the plant as if it were in the ground, giving it sunlight and water during the year/growing season, and it appears to be surviving, continued care should get it to the fall. If you have not been caring for it and it has shriveled over the course of time, the results of planting it can not be certain.
I've done a terrible mistake last spring. As novice gardener, I've planted a small bare root of a herbaceous peony upside down. When I've realized what I've done a sprout was already growth. I guess the crown is now about 4/5 inches below the pot soil and this spring I'm still waiting for the sprouts. What I can do? Should I wait this autumn and try to rotate the root of 90 degrees or I should just leave the peony this way hoping that nature could manage the situation?