Oregon is experiencing a warm summer, with many days reaching the upper 80s to the mid 90s. I found yesterday’s colder weather and daytime thundershowers to be soothing. We’re returning to 90 degrees today. Here in the Willamette Valley, May, June, and July have never been consistently warmer than they are right now.
Even even mature peony plants can tolerate some drought, we like to sometimes give them a hearty, deep soaking throughout the summer (unless we have some very good rainfalls). We give our baby peony (1st and 2nd year plants) more frequent waterings because their roots are developing nicely for stock division when they are two years old. These field-grown peony roots receive deep irrigation, and the soil retains moisture around the roots for a while between irrigations.
Depending on the size of the container, peonies in planters that will be planted in the fall may require daily watering during extremely hot weather. Larger 5 and 10 gallon nursery containers will hold moisture a little bit longer than smaller 2 or 3 gallon nursery containers in 90 degree conditions. Before they completely dry out, give your peony plants in containers some water. Despite being somewhat forgiving, the roots of potted peony plants will suffer and get stressed if there is not enough moisture. With your fingers, you may feel the dampness of the soil and determine whether it is dry or moist. It is probably too dry if the potted peony plant is quite light to pick up.
While I caution that they can dry out very fast in “heat waves” and regularly warm temperatures, I normally want the soil in my pot peony to “nearly” dry out between waterings. This summer, make sure to keep an eye on your peonies and other garden plants in containers in the ground and to give them a healthy drink of water before you think they REALLY need it.
While staying hydrated and cool in hot weather is important for human health, it’s also crucial for plant health. All levels of gardeners will find her descriptive information on watering container plants to be helpful.