The optimal conditions for peony growth are full sun and mild shade. Winter cold is necessary for peonies to bloom. Plant on a northern exposure and avoid mulching in the winter to promote flowering. Due to root competition from neighboring trees and bushes, flower size will diminish. Strong winds should be protected from, but the planting area should also be well-aerated to minimize disease issues. Peonies prefer a pH range of 6.0 to 7.0 in their well-drained soil. In poorly drained soil, roots will quickly rot; think about planting in a raised bed. Avoid areas that have previously been used to cultivate peony.
When should peony be planted?
The peony has the fattest, most delicious petals and rich green foliage, making it outrageously attractive when it is in bloom. From spring to summer, savor stunning floral displays. Learn how to care for, grow, and plant peony.
About Peonies
Peonies are a perennial that will steal your breath away every year. The plants may even outlive you—some have been reported to survive for at least a century.
When Is Peony Season? When Do Peonies Bloom?
Depending on your location and the kind you are planting, peonies bloom from late spring to early summer.
You may extend the peony season across several weeks and take use of those magnificent blossoms for as long as possible thanks to the abundance of nurseries that provide early, midseason, and late blooming types.
Peonies may thrive as far south as Zones 7 and 8, and they are hardy to Zone 3. The key to success in the majority of the United States is to provide full light and well-drained soil. Peonies even enjoy the winter’s coldness because it helps their buds grow.
Types of Peony Flowers
You can pick from six different varieties of peony flowers: anemone, single, Japanese, semi-double, double, and bomb. The odors of different plants also differ; some, like “Festiva Maxima” and “Duchesse de Nemours,” have seductive rose-like aromas, while others have a lemony scent or none at all.
Where to Plant Peonies
When planted as a low hedge or along sidewalks, peonies make excellent sentinels. As majestic and dignified as any flowering shrub, the peony’s bushy cluster of attractive glossy green leaves lasts all summer before turning purplish-red or gold in the fall.
Peonies work nicely with irises and roses in mixed borders and blossom alongside columbines, baptisias, and veronicas. Plant pink peonies with blue Nepeta or violets, then surround white peonies with yellow irises and a froth of forget-me-nots.
Peonies are not overly picky, but you should pick your place carefully because they dislike disruption and do not transplant well.
Although they may survive in partial shade, peonies like full sun, and they bloom at their peak in an area that receives 6 to 8 hours every day.
When to Plant Peonies
As long as they are planted correctly and become established, peony plants require minimal upkeep. However, keep in mind that they do not adapt well to transplanting, so you should consider this when choosing your planting location.
- Plant peony in the fall: in the majority of the United States, in late September or early October, and even later in the fall in Zones 7 and 8. Your planting zone can be found here.
- If you need to move an established plant, the fall is the ideal season because the plant will be dormant.
- About six weeks before the ground freezes, peonies should be planted.
- While planting peonies in the spring is absolutely a possibility, the results aren’t always favorable. They often trail behind plants planted in the fall by roughly a year, according to experts.
How to Plant Peonies
- Peonies are typically offered as divisions of a 3- or 4-year-old plant, bare-root tubers with 3 to 5 eyes (buds).
- Peonies should be placed 3 to 4 feet apart to allow for enough air circulation. The development of disease can be facilitated by stagnant, damp air.
- In a sunny area, dig a generously sized hole that is about 2 feet deep and 2 feet wide. The inclusion of organic matter in the planting hole will improve the soil. Add additional compost to the soil to improve it if it’s sandy or heavy. Add about a cup of bonemeal to the ground. Find out more about soil improvements and getting the soil ready for planting.
- The roots should be positioned in the hole just 2 inches below the soil’s surface, with the root’s eyes facing upward on top of a mound of soil. Avoid planting too deeply! Choose early-blooming species, put them approximately 1 inch deep, and provide some shade in southern states.
- Backfill the hole after that, being careful to prevent soil settlement and a 2-inch root burying. Gently tamp the ground.
- Plant a container-grown peony no deeper than it was when it was in the pot.
- When planting, give everything plenty of water.
How to Care for Peonies
Young peony take time to develop, just like children. In order to establish themselves, blossom, and flourish, they typically require a few years. They eventually leave home on their own, fully grown and adjusted… No, that’s just kids, I suppose.
Peonies benefit from gentle neglect. They don’t require digging and dividing every few years like the majority of perennials do.
- Don’t use any fertilizer. Before planting, till the soil thoroughly while adding compost and a small amount of fertilizer.
- Early summer, after the peonies have flowered and you have deadheaded the blooms, is the ideal time to apply fertilizer (such as bonemeal, compost, or well-rotted manure) to a soil that is deficient in nutrients. Keep fertilizing to a few years at most.
- assist the stems Peonies’ stems, which occasionally are not strong enough to hold their enormous blossoms, are the only part of their structure that may be considered weak. Think of structures that allow the plant to grow through the middle of the support, like three-legged metal peony rings or wire tomato cages.
- Peony blossoms should be deadheaded as soon as they start to fade, cutting to a sturdy leaf so that the stem doesn’t protrude through the foliage. To prevent any infections from overwintering, trim the foliage to the ground in the fall.
- Avoid covering peonies with mulch. For the first winter following planting, you can VERY LOOSELY mulch with pine needles or shredded bark when the winters are bitterly cold. In the spring, get rid of the mulch.
Peonies bloom between late spring and early summer, but by planting a variety of cultivars, you may arrange your garden for a succession of blooms from mid-May to late June. Here are a few options:
- ‘Early Scout’ has red solitary flowers that open incredibly early.
- “Firelight”: very early-blooming, single, pale-pink flowers
- ‘Karl Rosenfield’: double, midseason bloomer with substantial crimson blooms
Where would be the ideal location to grow a peony?
Peonies prefer an area with good soil drainage and sunlight. A healthy airflow around the plant is also crucial. Peonies are able to avoid their sole significant disease issue, botrytis, thanks to these growing circumstances.
Botrytis can be found in most soils, just like other fungi-related illnesses. Only poor plants, unusually cool and wet conditions, sick plants nearby, or weak plants rarely become an issue. Blackened buds, stems, and occasionally decaying at the base of the plant are indications of botrytis. Disconnect and remove any impacted areas (put this material in the trash, not in your compost pile). Preventing botrytis issues is the best course of action, and this starts with careful planting.
The gorgeous semi-double Abalone Pearl peony has gentle pink-peach petals that contrast with bright orange anthers.
Where in NC can you find peonies?
Peony plants are surprisingly simple to grow and, with the right care, will continue to produce stunning, head-turning flowers for decades.
Peonies begin to bloom vigorously in North Carolina (zone 7b) after the first spring blooms of tulips and daffodils start to fade. Blooms begin in mid-April, pick up steam in May, and finally come to a close in June.
Finding a reliable source of bare roots is the first step in starting to grow peony. Ours is provided by Terra Ceia Farms, and the quality is outstanding. They appear as follows:
Festiva Maxima and Sarah Bernhardt appear to thrive in North Carolina’s hot and muggy climate, but there are so many great types that it’s difficult to decide. Planting your peony in the fall will give the roots the best chance to take root before spring. Mid-November is when I generally plant mine, but October is also acceptable!
The place you choose for your plants is crucial after you’ve made your selections and received your bare roots. They require a location with good drainage and at least 6 to 8 hours per day of direct sunlight. The soil pH should be approximately 6.5 for optimum growth, and keep them away from other large plants and trees (you don’t want anything shading the peony or competing with them for nutrients). If you’re in North Carolina, you can test your soil for free; otherwise, get in touch with your neighborhood extension office to learn how to test and amend your soil.
Now that you’ve found the ideal location, set the plants 3 to 4 feet apart, then dig a hole large enough for the roots of each plant. Put your root inside with the eyes facing up and a couple of inches of nutrient-rich soil or compost on the bottom. Cover so that the eyes are just one or two inches below the surface. The peony won’t blossom if you plant them deeper than 1″ below the surface, so I never do that!
Although I don’t fertilize, I do use mulch as a weed preventative. The peonies typically receive two applications of mulch each year: the first in the early spring when the plants are still young and the second in the later spring when they are larger.
For the first two to three years of a young plant’s life, I pinch off the flower buds in the early spring to prevent the plant from blossoming. This stimulates the plant to focus all of its energy on the roots and leaves, resulting in plants that are stronger and healthier. However, don’t worry—even if you miss a few buds on your young plants, they will still grow a flower or two.
Additionally, I take care not to overwater the plants. They require around one cup of water every week, and if it doesn’t rain, we water them from the roots to prevent getting the leaves overly moist, which can lead to illness.
30–50(!) flowers can be produced by a mature plant per plant. To ensure that each plant is robust and healthy for the following season, I never remove more than half of its blossoms. The peony patch is fragrant and lovely, and it is simple for them to pick the blooms and strip the leaves. The youngsters like helping with the harvest.
To keep our plants healthy, we frequently deadhead, remove any botrytis-infected leaves, and cut the plants down to the ground after the first severe frost, which for us often occurs in late October or early November.
Since we always have plants with botrytis, there is no need to be alarmed. I don’t spray anything on the plants, but I do make sure to regularly remove any leaves that are infected. The plants are OK the next spring once I prune them after the frost. Simply make sure to properly remove any unhealthy leaves and other waste from your garden and avoid using them as mulch or compost.
Harvest your peonies when they are in the “marshmallow stage” (soft to the touch, displaying some color, but not fully opened), and store them dry in your refrigerator or cooler if you want to keep them for a few months.
When the time is right for your peonies to bloom, remove them from the cooler, trim the stems again, place them in a vase, and place them in a warm, sunny location. They ought to be completely operational in a day!
For our early summer weddings, we use our peonies in floral arrangements, and we always have enough for Mother’s Day and our flower CSA.
When May brides come to tour the barn, we love to package up a handful of the fragrant blooms and give them to them!
Is it simple to grow peonies?
I’ve long been in love with peonies, including herbaceous, intersectional, and tree varieties. I adore their classic elegance, vibrant colors, stunning flowers, and, of course, exuberant scent. Peonies belong in every garden, and every gardener should incorporate them.
Why grow peonies?
Peonies have a rather brief flowering season, which discourages many people from cultivating them. They may believe that there are more cost-effective and colorful plants available, yet when in bloom, peonies are incomparable.
Peonies are regarded by many gardeners as being a challenging plant to grow. The peony blossom is actually a fantastic low maintenance plant, ideal for both inexperienced and seasoned gardeners.
The peony bloom is astounding in its sheer size. Many intersectional peonies, also known as Itoh peonies (a cross between herbaceous and tree peonies), produce blossoms the size of dinner plates in a variety of colors, including white, yellow, pink, and purple. Beautiful single, semi-double, and double flowers are available.
Although some are more fragrant than others, most peony are fragrant. For instance, the lovely double white blossom Paeonia lactiflora ‘Duchesse de Nemours’ AGM has a cream center and the most delicious scent. Paeonia lactiflora ‘Catharina Fontijn’ is one of my favorites. It features delicate blush blossoms that give off a lovely but potent fragrance.
So the peony has fragrant, magnificent, and eye-catching blossoms. What else can you get from this plant? Contrary to the widely believed belief that peonies are delicate and difficult to manage, they are actually very hardy and simple to grow. For a while, they will live contentedly in a reasonably large container, but ultimately they will be happier in the ground.
What are the 3 rules for growing perfect peonies?
With peony, there are a few things to keep in mind, but if you do them correctly, you’ll enjoy decades of hassle-free gardening and the most exquisite display of color and perfume that just gets better with time.
Don’t dig deep
Do not bury your peonies too deeply. Less than 2.5 cm below the surface is the maximum depth at which the tuberous roots may be buried. Some intersectional peonies, like “Bartzella” AGM or “Julia Rose,” have finely cut leaves that become scarlet red in the spring and autumn, while many herbaceous or garden peonies have strong red stems and light green soft foliage, but they simply will not flower if they are planted any deeper.
If a peony in your yard isn’t blooming, it’s usually because you planted it too deeply or you meticulously mulched the borders, which resulted in burying it. Simply wait until the fall and then lift your peony and replant it at the proper depth, being careful not to damage the buds on the roots.
Sun’s out, peonies out
Your peony should be planted in a sunny area. Even while many types, including Paeonia lactiflora ‘White Wings,’ can handle moderate shade, if your peony bloom is in excessive shade, it won’t flower as well.
Drain well
Put your peony on soil that is rich and well-draining. These flowers normally don’t care too much about the soil and do well in free-draining chalky or clay soils. In the winter, they dislike sitting in water.
You can see that the guidelines primarily concern planting your peony. Your peony will be happy to be left alone once it has been planted. In actuality, you most likely don’t need to feed your peony if you have rich, nutritious soil.
A balanced, all-purpose fertilizer like Growmore applied in the spring should work if your soil isn’t the best. In order to prevent peony wilt, it is also a good idea to trim back and remove the dead leaves in the autumn.
Bonus peony growing tips
Peonies are dependable garden performers since they require little upkeep. They won’t overgrow your garden like triffids; most of them will only reach heights of 80 to 90 cm and widths of 60 to 80 cm. They disappear during the winter and reappear in the spring to continue to delight you (this does not apply to tree peonies, whose woody stems are present all year).
Generally speaking, they do not actually suffer from illnesses and pests, and once established, they require minimal maintenance. In fact, deer and rabbits don’t bother them either, which makes them perfect for gardens in rural areas.
Let’s dispel a different misconception about peony flowers while we’re talking about them, which is that they dislike being relocated. The plants should be carefully lifted in the fall and replanted or divided, subject to regulation number 1 (above). Do not overwater them if you are putting them in a container and keep 3-5 buds on each piece of divided root. That’s how simple it is.
You must be patient since peonies need time to mature. Even though it would seem alluring to buy a smaller, less expensive plant and wait for it to develop, my recommendation is to select a well-established peony that is at least 3-5 years old or more in order to guarantee success.