Peony plants cannot develop into true kinds when they are produced from seed. The only method for creating authentic clones of peony cultivars is through asexual means of propagation like cuttings or divisions. Peonies can, however, be propagated from gathered seed to create distinctive bloom variations. Herbaceous perennials take five to six years to reach maturity. Growing peony from seed will hasten the maturation of tree and Itoh varieties.
So when should peony seed pods be removed? Harvesting of peony seed pods takes place mostly in the autumn. When the seed pods become leathery, dark brown, and start to crack open, they should be harvested. Tie nylon or tiny mesh bags around mature seed pods before they split open to prevent seed loss to birds, small mammals, or the elements. After gathering the peony seeds, put them in a bowl of water to examine if they are still viable. Floaters should be thrown away because they are sterile. Rinse the viable seeds in the sinking water with 10% bleach.
Where are the peony’s seeds located?
Peony blooms always offer an elegant, age-old touch to flowers, whether they are herbaceous, Itoh, or tree types. Peonies are strong perennial or woody landscape plants, hardy in zones 3–8. Peonies have been raised for a variety of purposes throughout history. They are now mostly produced for their beautiful, but occasionally fleeting, blooms. Flower stalks are typically pruned after their blooms fade, and plants are shaped into smaller, rounded shapes.
Peonies produce intriguing clusters of wedge-shaped, gray to brown seed pods that are lightly fuzz-covered when they are young. The seed pods become dark brown and leathery as they grow older, and as they ripen, they break open to reveal lustrous dark purple to black seeds. They can spice up the garden and give you access to seeds for peony replanting. To learn how to collect peony seeds, keep reading.
Are seeds produced by peony flowers?
We save the seeds from our Northwest Cultivar Group (rockii) tree peony every year. You can place an online order for them or mail us $12.50 to get 25 freshly picked in late August. We also have a limited supply of different peony seeds available for purchase (price includes postage). Please visit our website for further details. Send in your requests as soon as possible because we can only offer a certain quantity of seeds per year.
Many of the seeds from the hybrid tree peonies in the Northwest Cultivar group p.rockii will grow into plants that produce these stunning white blooms with crimson flares (blooming in about four years). This flower’s shape and color closely resemble those of the P. rockii wild species.
The period to gather the peony seeds for this year will be in August. Try your hand at growing a harvest of peonies from seed if you left the pods on the plant throughout the summer because the vast majority of peonies produce viable seeds. Peonies grown from seed do not look exactly like their parent plant, despite possible striking similarities. Nearly all cultivated tree and herbaceous peony are hybrids that are very different from their predecessors in the wild. Seeds gathered from a single peony species that did not cross pollinate with other peonies are the exception to this rule.
Peonies that are intersectional hybrids (Itoh) are sterile and do not produce viable seeds. The majority of European and American ‘lutea’ hybrid tree peonies like ‘Leda’ or ‘High Noon’ very rarely produce viable seeds, and regrettably some garden favorites like the advanced herbaceous hybrids ‘Coral Charm’ and ‘Lois’ Choice’ are also infertile. However, these are but a very small subsection of the peony world; the overwhelming majority of Chinese and Japanese tree and herbaceous peonies all yield large quantities of fertile seeds that
We typically collect our tree peony seeds here during the first and third weeks of August. Currently, the lovely star-shaped pods are swelling and starting to change color from a leathery green to brown. Seeds are ready to be gathered when the seedpod has become a dark tallow-brown.
The seeds are ripe and ready to be harvested when the seed pods have turned a dark brown color and are just starting to crack open. Carefully open up each segment of the seed pod and extract the seeds since damaged seeds won’t germinate.
Peony seeds undergo a twofold dormancy, consisting of a hard outer seed coat and a dormant embryo, when they are fully ripe. Germination happens when air and water can get through the seed coat and reach the embryo.
Peony seeds can be started using a variety of techniques, some of which depend on the seed’s natural state—specifically, its degree of dormancy—while others are dictated by the grower—primarily, whether to sow the seeds outdoors or indoors.
Directly planting seeds with hard and dry seed coats may require two growing seasons to naturally overcome the double-dormancy, whereas freshly harvested seeds that have not yet fully developed a hard outer coat may germinate in the same season (in the late fall) and sprout the following spring as a small green shoot above the soil.
Make the planet a more beautiful place this fall by sowing some peony seeds. Within each glittering pearl is the germ of a peony that the world has never seen blossom and has the ability to astound observers for decades to come.
Black seeds are likely to need two seasons to germinate and grow, though they may surprise you next spring. Planting tan color seeds is more likely to give you sprouts in the first spring. Left to mature seedpods will change to a dark brown and inside the seeds will change to black. The seedpods will also crack open.
We prefer clay pots or root control bags for seeding, though plastic pots will work. The pH should be near 7.0, which often means adding some garden lime to sweeten the soil. Plant fresh (tan or black) seeds directly in a sandy loam, garden soil mixed with a little extra sand, perlite, or aged bark nuggets for drainage. Either plant directly in a seed bed or use pots with good drainage holes, 10-12 in diameter.
Be patient; nothing will appear above the soil line until the following spring, and some seeds won’t germinate until the second spring, if the right conditions are present, the seed will sprout in the warm late summer weather, and the cooler fall temperatures will encourage root growth until the freezing weather.
Young sprouts need to be watered and fed a mild liquid fertilizer, such as Neptune’s Harvest fish-seaweed fertilizer every other month during the growing season, April to September. Young sprouts will be about 2 tall. Remove mulch from the pot in the spring about two weeks after the ground has thawed, leaving pot submerged in the garden.
Young seedlings should only be moved in the fall, after which they should be spaced approximately six apart in the garden and left to develop naturally until September of their first year.
The tree peony seedlings reach a height of over 6 inches when they have genuine leaves by their second year.
Tree peony seedlings will frequently begin to bloom in their fourth year, while herbaceous peonies will occasionally bloom in their third year. Keep in mind that peonies sometimes take several years of immature flowers before they show their mature form. Young plants may be moved again in the fall of their third year to a more permanent location, allowing at least 4 to 5′ for each plant (three for herbaceous peonies) and choosing a well-drained site with 5-6 hours of sun.
For seeds of Chinese (P.rockii) tree peonies from the Northwest Cultivar group, such as “Snow Lotus” and herbaceous peonies, we have found this “direct” seeding method to be very effective. Seeds from other hybrid groups of tree peonies may germinate more readily with the benefit of the steps described below.
Open recently harvested seed pods as indicated above. Alternatively, some growers let the seedpods cure in brown paper bags for a week in your garage or another shaded, dry, and cool location. After the week has passed, carefully open the seedpods.
The seeds should be placed in a zip-lock bag with a little bit of damp fine sand or vermiculite and placed in a warm area (around 80 degrees); we use the top of our refrigerator for this. Root growth may begin in 4–12 weeks, at which point the sprouted seeds (detected by a protruding white rootlet) can be planted outdoors as previously described or placed in a refrigerator for 3 months at 40 degrees for cold stratification (the vegetable crisper of the refrigerator is a good spot).
Herbaceous peony seeds that have sprouted can be either planted outdoors in the early fall or placed in the refrigerator for a period of cold stratification.
If seeds do not germinate after the first cycle of hot/cold stratification, repeat the three months of warm treatment (around 80 degrees), followed by the three months at 40 degrees. At this point, the sprouted seeds can be planted in pots and grown under lights indoors or gradually introduced to natural sunlight outdoors. Note that the protruding rootlet is very fragile, so handle with care when planting.
If peony seeds with hard, dry seed coats, such as those that are black or dark brown in color, are planted outdoors without any additional care, it will probably take two growing seasons for the proper proportion of water, heat, and bacteria to break down the seed coat and allow water and air to reach the embryo.
Dry, black seeds need to experience warmth followed by a winter frost (either real or simulated) in order to germinate without extra care.
The exterior seed coat can be physically broken down in order to scarify the seeds, which is a process we utilize to hasten germination.
Give the seed 2-3 light passes with the file while holding it between your thumb and forefinger.
If you file the seed down to the point of the white interior, you have gone too deep. It is only necessary to file a small section of the seed. A diluted solution of sulfuric acid can be used to scarify large batches of seeds. It only takes a few light passes with the file to remove the outer layer.
All that is required to let air and moisture to reach the dormant embryo and begin germination is to fill in just below the shiny external covering.
Seeds can be sown soon after scarifying if it’s still early in the fall and the ground is suitable for planting.
If planting indoors, adhere to the warm/cold stratification guidelines in the section on planting new seeds.
Other things to think about while buying peony seeds:
- Flowers that are single or semi-double typically produce more seeds than intricate double varieties.
- If you can’t plant straight away, store in a cool, dry place.
- It’s possible that the seeds you collect from a single tree peony specimen that’s not close to any other tree peonies won’t grow.
We have grown some of the lovely tree and herbaceous peonies from seed. Although we claim ownership of these Peony Heaven hybrids, we are really simply stealing the bees’ and the wind’s thunder!
Unnamed and brand-new Peony Heaven tree peony. 2011 marked the first year that bloomed.
We have raised herbaceous peony from seed for many years. Our open-pollinated seeds have produced some lovely new plants because we have a sizable collection of cultivars from numerous different species of herbaceous peony. View a few of our favorites from the test garden in the gallery below.
Is it advisable to let peonies go to seed?
My transfer of several fragrant peonies from Kentucky was successful. The seedpod cluster remains when the bloom fades. Are those pods in need of pruning? Rebecca Pell, county of Fayette
A: Peony seedpods don’t prevent further blooming because no fresh flowers are anticipated after spring. However, because they lessen the plant’s summer bloom, most people remove them as soon as they are seen. Before it turns brown in November, there is no need to remove any leaf. The common peony can then be cut all the way back to the ground. Reminder: If you have a tree peony, avoid cutting the brown structural twigs all the way to the ground. Tip: To prevent people from stepping on my peony clumps in the winter, I made 1″ wide rims from the tops of old plastic pots and placed them around dormant plants to make them stand out more.
A tree that was felled five years ago keeps producing tiny sweetgum saplings on my fescue lawn. What is the most effective way to guarantee that I destroy every sapling? Randy Harrison, County of Gwinnett
A: In all honesty, the most effective method is the most basic: Regularly clip or mow the leafy sprouts to starve the sweetgum root fragments that are still alive after the main tree was felled. I promise that if you regularly remove the leaves, the sprouts will eventually cease growing.
Do you have any recommendations for the ideal soil type for a bonsai tree kept indoors?
Email from Kristin Jones
A number of “tree-like” houseplants can be trained to have the traditional bonsai appearance. The Norfolk Island pine, ficus, and jade plant are excellent choices. They therefore don’t require anything more complex than ordinary potting soil. But one thing to remember is that your plants will continue to grow in the same container for a while. The earth will eventually become compacted and less permeable to water as time goes on. Put a reminder in your calendar to replace the soil in your indoor bonsai every few years.
A yellow jacket nest appears in my yard each year. I discovered the newest nest on Sunday (i.e. I got stung three times). Is there anything I can do to make my yard less appealing to yellow jackets? email from Michael Morrow
A: Last week, I “found” a nest on my own, but I only got two stings. I had to cross a shady pine island to get to the entrance. Yellow jackets cannot be repelled in any way. Being extremely vigilant in areas where they might build a nest is all that is required. At bit.ly/GAyellowjacket, I have information regarding their habits as well as many trap types.