The peony is outrageously beautiful in bloom in springtime—with lush foliage all summer long. Here’s how to grow peonies and get the best peony flowers in your garden.
Peony flowers are perennials that come back every spring to take your breath away. The plants may live longer than you do—some have been known to thrive for 100 years.
Peony plants require little maintenance as long as they are planted properly and establish themselves; they do not respond well to transplanting.
They’re hardy to Zone 3 and grow well as far south as Zones 7 and 8. In most of the country, the rules for success are simply full sun and well-drained soil. Peonies even relish cold winters, because they need chilling for bud formation.
Peonies make fine sentinels lining walkways and a lovely low hedge. After its stunning bloom, the peony’s bushy clump of handsome glossy green leaves lasts all summer, and then turns purplish or gold in the fall, as stately and dignified as any shrub.
In mixed borders, peonies bloom with columbines, baptisias, and veronicas, and combine well with irises and roses. Plant white peonies with yellow irises and a froth of forget-me-nots; set off pink peonies with blue Nepeta or violets.
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Planting peonies in a pot
April 22 9:13pm I got three peonies red pink and fuchsia pink I planted them in good size pots on my patio they all have flowers on them is this ok or do they have to be in the ground
Peonies
I bought several Peony bulbs and could not tell which was the top or bottom of the bulb. There was a center, large,round bulb with a tube-like extension from one end of it and the bulb was surrounded by several smaller, oval shaped bulbs with roots on one end of each of them. The smaller bulbs were attached to the center bulb. I planted the bulb with the attached bulbs in the center of a large pot with the tube-like extension up and the smaller, attached bulbs with roots down, but left them attached. I've got green shoots coming up, but I'm still wondering which way was up and should I have separated the smaller bulbs from the larger center bulb??? This is the first time I've ever planted Peonies.
When is spring?
I bought a containered peony at a nursery here in Idaho on April 8, but after reading this article, it looks like I should have bought it in fall. Now that I have it, I'm wondering when I should plant it this spring. Our overnight lows are typically mid 30s now. Is that too cold?
Paeony
I bought mine to-day 17th April 2018 when should I plat it?
I have the same question
I have the same question,Please. I purchased mine a week ago.
Planting Peonies in Spring
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!
Peonies sprouting and snow in the forecast Virginia
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!
Elderly peony
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?
30-year-old plant
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.
Peonies in pots
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?
last spring's peony
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.
A terrible mistake!
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?
upsidedown peony
Most plants will overcome manmade errors such as you describe. And planting a peony root upside down is not that unusual. However, planting it 4 to 5 inches below ground is. See above; the root should be in a big hole filled with dirt…but only about 2 inches below the surface or ground level. (The big hole is for the long, tangled roots it will send out.) You could gently remove soil from on top of and around the root and see how it looks. If it has not set long roots and it looks like it’s straining to find the light, you could lift it and replant it properly. However, it is not likely that it will flower this year because it will be readjusting to the move. (There is no guarantee it will flower anyway, if this is its first full season in the ground.) If you do not check it now, you could check and move it in the fall. HOWEVER, before you do anything, read everything above. Know what you should do before you start.
confused
I am sort of confused as to why if it is best to plant in fall, that my local Costco is selling the bulbs now at the beginning of the year? I'm in south-eastern Washington state. (the evergreen state's desert) :)
Peony Planting
Peonies can be planted in both spring and fall—planting in the fall just gives them more of a head start for when spring weather comes around!
peony
Peony tree can bee plant in south of Florida I love to have them.
thank!
Isora
Peonies
Is it correct that Peonies need Potasium for strong stems? and if so is Potasium in Bone Meal? Can Peonies be fertilized in March by Sprinkling bones Meal around the roots?
Dogs and Peonies
How do peonies stand up to dog urine?
Dog Urine
Peonies will not react well to dog urine.
DOG URINE
Not many things do! ;)
Transplanting peonies in winter
We are having foundation issues and I need to move my peonies now (January). We live in the mountain area of northern Virginia. I would like to transfer them temporarily and then move them back to the same spot once the work is completed. What do you recommend for the transfer and when could we expect them to bloom again?
Moving next summer
I live in NC and will be moving to VA next summer. I want to take my peonies with me. Should I transplant to pots now in the fall or spring. Or Can I move them in the summer? Please help.
Transplanting Peonies
It would be best to leave them where they are for the duration of winter. Transplant them to pots in the spring and get them in the ground again as soon as you can after you move.
I wish I found you earlier! I
I wish I found you earlier! I purchased some peony buds early this year and planted them on the ground. Then we had to go for a 2 week trip. Upon we were back, some of the buds had small leaves growing and we all got excited. Then we found the peony should be in full sun, so we transplanted to a full sun area. Well, the leaves were all gone after transplant. Some weeks pasted by, nothing happened. We thought they might be died or no good anymore. So we dug them up. Only to find the buds still have eyes on them and looked healthy. So we planted them back to the ground. It has been 4 or 5 months now, still haven't seen anything. But we are afraid to dig again, at the same time, we really want to find out. So we are just waiting... anything we should do??? We are in AZ, zone 9 to 13. Not a good place to grow peony I guess. But we love peony so much, just want to try and try... Please, any advices??? Thank you!!!
Transplanting Peonies
They don’t like to be moved at all. Once your find a spot you must leave it there. Since you shocked the peonies by constantly digging them up they may need a year or more before you see any results. Just give them time to settle. Also if you plant any new peonies make sure they are only 1-1/2 inches deep. They don’t do well if they are deeper than that depth.
Winter is coming
So from what I gather you can leave your peonies outside during the winter. no need to water. But what if it is a potted peony?
peonies in winter
Correct. Peonies are extremely hardy and easily withstand the winter conditions where we live in New Hampshire. Peonies prefer to be planted in the ground. Container-grown peonies can be bought in the spring but are generally planted in the ground in spring or fall. If the planting is done in the fall, it would be a good idea to mulch the plants with some organic material, such as straw, coarse sphagnum peat moss, shredded bark, wood chips, or something similar. Apply 2 to 3 inches of material.
My Legacy Peony
My prized heirloom is part of a peony that was growing on my great-grandparents’ farm in Nebraska when my grandmother was born in 1894. When they sold the farm, Grandma dug it up and planted it in town. She split it and my dad took it to Chicago and split it into three plants. Mom later gave me one and my sister another. Mine is in Pennsylvania and has been split once and needs to be again, as does the one from my first split. I call them my muscle plants because they just shove everything else out of the way. My sister’s is in Wisconsin. When my mom was worried about the split my dad did about 40 years ago, Grandma said, “don’t worry, you can’t kill it.” So far, she’s been right.
Transplanting crowded, shaded peonies
I planted peonies 20 years ago that have been glorious all this time, until this year. Nearby trees have grown up and now shade the peonies and the peonies themselves have self-sown and are too crowded. All of the peonies got powdery mildew during this wet spring that we had in Colorado. Should I transplant all of the plants, just some, or none? Thank you!
Powdery Mildew On Peonies
Hi Karen,
To combat the powdery mildew, transplant your peonies 4 feet apart from each other to provide good air circulation. Plant them in the sun: Sun mitigates the effects of powdery mildew. Next summer, use a fungicide spray every 7 to 14 days. This will help to keep the mildew at bay, but not to prevent it entirely.
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