Peony plants can be planted at two distinct seasons of the year, either bare-rooted or recently dug up. According to Hope Weber of The Ohio State University Cooperative Extension Service, peonies are traditionally planted successfully in late summer to early autumn, which in this state corresponds to late August to mid-September. As a result, the roots can establish themselves in cool, moist soil before winter and start a new growing season the following spring. As an alternative, herbaceous peony clumps can be removed in the early to midspring, right as the fresh red foliage begins to appear. The complete clump of peony roots can be moved to a new site once the soil is suitable for working with, aligning the root ball’s soil level to that of the new plant hole.
- Growing peony, both herbaceous and tree varieties, is made possible by Ohio’s fertile soils, chilly winters, and warm summers.
- As an alternative, herbaceous peony clumps can be removed in the early to midspring, right as the fresh red foliage begins to appear.
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 can survive in partial shade, peonies like full sun, and they flower at their best in an area that receives 6 to 8 hours of sunlight per day.
Because of its huge flowers, peonies can become top-heavy in severe winds. Therefore, provide shelter. (If necessary, stakes can be used to hold them up.) Planting too close to trees or bushes will cause peony to compete with them for nutrients, sunlight, and moisture.
Grow peony in rich, wet, humus-rich soil that is deep, fertile, and well-draining. pH in the soil should be neutral.
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
Are peony successful in Ohio?
For good reason, peonies have been a mainstay in gardens in central Ohio for many years.
Although they only bloom for a few weeks in the late spring, their blossoms are stunning. Both as cut flowers and as garden flowers, they are superb. The foliage provides an excellent dark green backdrop for summer bulbs and flowers, and the blooms have a mild fragrant aroma.
They are also hassle-free. Peonies are reasonably resistant to diseases and pests, can withstand drought once established, are hardy in cold climates, and grow well with little maintenance. According to the Purdue University Extension, they can also live and produce flowers for decades—often for more than 50 years—with adequate care.
The brilliant, beautiful peony blossoms, which are consistently in bloom over the long holiday weekend, are one of the views that define Memorial Day weekend.
Simple peonies with five or more petals encircling an apparent core are known as single blossom peonies. Flower stems don’t require staking to stand upright. In central Ohio, the Ohio State University Extension suggests using the single flower types Bowl of Beauty, Krinkled White, President Lincoln deep red, or Seashell pink.
Similar to anemone peonies, Japanese peonies have more petals and less noticeable centers. The Cora Stubbs pink with a cream center, Nippon Beauty red with a yellow center, or Carrara, with a white blossom and a white center, are suggested by the OSU Extension.
The huge, heavy, velvety blossoms of the semidouble and double kinds are well known for drooping to the ground unless anchored. OSU suggests semidoubles like Mildred May in white and Robert W. Auten in dark red as well as double varieties including Kansas in red, Festiva Maxima in white, Fairy’s Petticoat in pink, and Sarah Bernhardt in medium rose pink.
Peonies that grow blossoms on bushes and lose their leaves in the fall are called tree-type peonies. The herbaceous perennial cousins of tree peonies should be pruned back to the ground in the fall, but not tree peonies.
Peonies can flower with as little as four hours of direct sun each day, according to Anne Hancheck, a former horticultural with the University of Minnesota Extension, but they prefer full sun regardless of the type or flower form. Flowers’ deterioration will be slowed by afternoon shade.
Grow dwarf types, space peonies at least 2 feet apart, and for standard varieties, 4 feet apart, in well-drained soil. If you’re planting in thick clay soil, add compost, finely crushed pine bark, or well-rotted manure to promote drainage and add nutrients, advises Clemson University Extension.
The soil at the planting site should be loosen to a depth of at least 12 inches, while 3 feet is preferred, according to the Purdue extension. Place the peony root in the hole after adding better dirt. One to two inches of soil should be visible at the top of the root. Peonies won’t flower if they are buried too deeply. Just keep in mind that a plant will take longer to mature and flower the smaller the root piece is. Peonies can also be planted in the early spring but are best planted in the fall when the plants are dormant and less likely to suffer damage or shock from the transplant.
Watch your distance. A peony can get as big as three feet wide. Budget-conscious gardeners might also consider dividing up their peony area. In the fall, the roots can be carefully pulled up and divided. Cover the peony roots so the pink buds, or eyes, are pointing up, according to Hancheck, and cut them into pieces with a clean knife, being sure to leave at least three to five eyes on each root. Peonies can succumb to fungal infections, including botrytis blight and leaf blotch, even if they are resistant to disease and pests once established. Botrytis is widespread in damp springs. Dark stains on the leaves, fragile, rotting stems, and closed or discolored flower buds are all signs of the disease. When the temperature is warm and humid, leaf blotches form. Glossy, deep purple markings on the foliage are one sign. Remove the plant’s affected portions to stop the fungus in its tracks. Peony stems should be pruned to the ground and covered with mulch or leaves after the first harsh frost has damaged the foliage. To avoid or control illness and pests, remove all the leaves and stems.
In cases when leaf blotch and botrytis are present, the OSU Extension advises using a fungicide.
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.
When should I buy and plant peonies?
According to Eldred Steinkopf, peonies that were purchased at a neighborhood garden center in a pot can be planted at any time in the spring or summer.
About six weeks before the ground freezes, peonies should be planted. According to The Old Farmer’s Almanac, they are often planted in September and October in most of the United States, but depending on the region, they may be planted later in the fall.
According to the nonprofit American Peony Society, peonies can be planted in most growing zones anytime between late August and October.
According to the USDA, peonies develop from underground stems called as tubers that store food made by the leaves, and new development appears as buds or eyes on the tubers.
In the late summer and fall, venues sell tubers, and in the spring, certain locations sell fully grown peonies. But few of these survive the summer’s dry weather since they are pricey. The federal agency advises purchasing and planting tubers in the fall.
Although a tuber can have many eyes, they need to have three to five in order to survive and grow. The second year after planting, peonies with three to five eyes may produce good flowers.
According to the USDA, it can take one planted from tubers with fewer than three eyes three to five years to yield more than a few modest blooms.
Peonies can be planted in the spring, although they usually don’t grow as well. According to experts, they often lag behind plants that are planted in the fall by roughly a year.
According to the USDA, you can plant fully grown peonies in the spring, but since they are already growing when you plant them, they are far more difficult to maintain than tubers planted in the fall.
Can I plant peonies after Labor Day?
The optimum time to plant peonies is in the fall, any time between late September and early December. When purchasing a potted plant in the spring or summer, it is better to wait until fall to transplant the plant. To ensure good drainage, you can temporarily bury the entire pot where it will be planted, covering the soil beneath it with a few inches of gravel.
Follow these planting instructions in the fall:
Make a deep hole that is at least 24″ wide and 18″ deep. Rich, humus-rich soil as well as a lot of compost, composted manure, or peat moss should be used to fill the hole’s bottom.
Remove the plant from its pot with care, being sure to untangle any circling or tangled roots.
Place it there and backfill the hole with the same soil mixture as you go. When planting is finished, make sure the top of the plant’s bud “eyes” is no lower than 2 inches below the top soil level, taking into consideration any additional mulch layer you’ll add.