From Bud to Bloom: How to Plant, Grow, and Care for Stunning Peonies in Your Garden
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Planting
Where to Plant Peonies
Peonies make fine sentinels lining walkways or a lovely low hedge. After their stunning bloom, the peony’s bushy clump of handsome, glossy green leaves lasts all summer and then turns purplish-red or gold in the fall. It is as stately and dignified as any flowering 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.
- Peonies are not too fussy, but choose your location wisely as they resent disturbance and do not transplant well.
- Peonies like full sun, and though they can manage with half a day, they bloom best in a sunny spot that gets 6 to 8 hours of sunlight each day. In southern states, provide some shade.
- Provide shelter from strong winds, as peonies’ large blooms can make them top-heavy. (Use stakes to hold them up, if necessary.) Don’t plant too close to trees or shrubs, as peonies don’t like to compete for food, light, and moisture.
- When growing peonies, plant in deep, fertile, humus-rich, moist soil that drains well. The soil pH should be neutral.
- They are cold hardy, so any place you need an overcoat makes them happiest—they require a cold period for bud formation, a frustration to some southern gardeners.
When to Plant Peonies
Peony plants require little maintenance as long as they are planted properly and establish themselves. Note, however, that they do not respond well to transplanting, so you should plan your planting site accordingly.
- Plant peonies in the fall: in late September and October in most of the U.S., and even later in the fall in Zones 7 and 8 (Find your planting zone here).
- If you must move a mature plant, fall is the time to do it—specifically, when the plant has gone dormant.
- Peonies should be settled into place about 6 weeks before the ground freezes.
- Although it’s certainly possible to plant peonies in the spring, spring-planted peonies don’t do as well. Experts agree: they generally lag about a year behind those planted in the fall.
How to Plant Peonies
- Peonies are usually sold as bare-root tubers with 3 to 5 eyes (buds), divisions of a 3- or 4-year-old plant.
- Space peonies 3 to 4 feet apart to allow for good air circulation between the plants. Stagnant, humid air can be a recipe for disease to develop.
- Dig a generous-sized hole, about 2 feet deep and 2 feet across, in well-draining soil in a sunny spot. The soil will benefit from the addition of organic material in the planting hole. If the soil is heavy or very sandy, enrich it with extra compost. Incorporate about one cup of bone meal into the soil. Learn more about soil amendments and preparing soil for planting.
- Set the root so the eyes face upward on top of a mound of soil in the hole, placing the roots just 2 inches below the soil surface. Don’t plant too deep! (In southern states, choose early-blooming varieties, plant them about 1 inch deep, and provide some shade.)
- Then, backfill the hole, taking care that the soil doesn’t settle, and bury the root deeper than 2 inches. Tamp the soil gently.
- When planting a container-grown peony, cover it no deeper than it grew in the pot.
- Water thoroughly at the time of planting.
Types
In the 1930s and 1940s, plant catalogs listed only three peony choices: white, crimson, and rose pink. Today, thousands of varieties are available.
There are six main peony flower types: anemone, single, Japanese, semidouble, double, and bomb. Fragrances vary as well—some plants, such as ‘Festiva Maxima’ and ‘Duchesse de Nemours’, have intoxicating rose-like scents, while others are lemony or have no scent at all.
Peonies bloom between late spring and early summer, but you can plan your garden for a successive display of flowers from mid-May to late June by planting various varieties. Here are some choices:
- Anemone (an advanced Japanese form)—‘Laura Dessert’: cream/pale lemon to white; strong fragrance; early-season
- Single (one row of petals)—‘Sparkling Star’: deep pink; early- to midseason
- Japanese (decorative centers)—‘Carrara’: white, with soft yellow centers; fragrant; midseason
- Semidouble (five or more guard petals and prominent centers)—‘Pink Hawaiian Coral’: pink to coral rose form; slight fragrance; early-season
- Double (large petals, needs support)—‘Candy Stripe’: white, with red streaks; slight fragrance; mid- to late-season
- Bomb (large, like a scoop of petals)—‘Angel Cheeks’: soft pink; slight fragrance; midseason
- Consider, too, the Itoh peony: Named after its developer, Japanese botanist Dr. Toichi Itoh (d. 1956), this flower is a cross between a herbaceous (bush) peony and a tree peony. Its large single, semidouble, and double blooms appear later in the season and last longer than traditional peonies.
Harvesting
Keeping Peony Flowers in a Vase
Peonies make wonderful cut flowers and last more than a week in a vase. For best results, cut long stems in the morning when the buds are still fairly tight.
You can wrap freshly cut peony stems in a damp paper towel and put them in a plastic bag in the refrigerator until you’re ready to use them. When removing the peonies from the refrigerator, give the stems a fresh cut and place them in lukewarm water to wake them up.
While peonies do not need to be divided like other plants, fall is a good time to divide or transplant if your plants are too large. Remove the leaves, then dig around the plant’s roots in a large circle, and lift. If dividing, ensure a new section has at least 3 to 5 eyes. Replant.
Pests/Diseases
Peonies are generally very hardy. Plus, peonies are also one of many deer-resistant plants you can grow in your garden.
However, they are susceptible to:
- Verticillium wilt
- Ringspot virus
- Tip blight
- Stem rot
- Botrytis blight
- Leaf blotch
- Japanese beetles
- Nematodes
- Aphids
Why Are There Ants on My Peonies?
Many gardeners wonder why so many ants crawl on the peony buds. Don’t worry! They are just eating the peony’s nectar in exchange for attacking bud-eating pests. They are attracted to the sugary droplets on the outside of flower buds or to the honeydew produced by scale insects and aphids. Never spray the ants; they’re helping you by keeping your peonies safe!
Catherine Boeckmann
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my peony plants were growing strong during May and were showing buds. We were hit with a bad thunderstorm and the high winds knocked down the stems of these 2 beautiful plants. They have folded down on the ground. What should I do to help them? The stems and leaves are strong & healthy looking just sitting flat now on the ground. It's been 3 days since the storm and I don't know how to help them. Please let me know. Thank you in advance for your advice!
You’re in luck; your peonies sound healthy! Here’s how to help:
Stake Them Up: Gently lift the stems and support them with plant stakes, a peony ring, or loosely tied string around bamboo stakes.
Don’t Cut Them: As long as the stems and leaves are green and healthy, leave them be. They’re still feeding the plant.
Be Patient: If the buds weren’t damaged, they may still bloom. Either way, your plant should bounce back beautifully next year.
You’ve got this! Peonies are tougher than they look!
We have the peonies in a large flower pot for 5 years or more and have not had any flowers for 2 years can you give any advice on how to get them to bloom again. So nice when they did. Thank you in advance for your help
Hi Marc,
Sorry to hear about your peonies not blooming. There is a quick checklist of needs that peonies require that should be followed. Make sure it is getting the right amount of light—from 6 to 8 hours per day. Since container grown plants dry out quicker, be sure to water adequately, especially during hot spells. Follow the above Fall Care to ensure your plants get a jump start on the following growing season. And be sure to check for any signs of plants or diseases that can lead to blooming issues.
If you live in an area that receives freezing temperatures during winter or cold temperatures in early spring, take measures to protect your plants by moving to a location where the elements will not be as severe.
While peonies do not like to be transplanted and don’t need to be repotted often, it could also be an issue with the size of your container. Peony roots need ample room to grow and if your plants are too large and the roots are too large for the current container, it can lead to failure to bloom. Check the drainage holes to see if the roots are visible and if so, it might be time to transplant to a larger home. It could also be an issue that your potting mix is no longer providing what your plants need. If you have not amended your potting mix in some time, you could add some compost to provide a boost or transplant into new potting mix. The best time to transplant/divide is in early fall.
Hope this helps!
peonies with their stunning, aromatic blooms, had been a fave among florists and garden enthusiasts for loads of years.
thanks for sharing !
You may also like look on pink peonies in https://brightpulses.com/pink-peonies-a-profit-and-expense-guide-for-farmers/.
I so badly want to grow more prone plants, I want to use the seed pods that are left after the petals fall off. Are these the pods? If not, where are they? How do I prepare them for fall planting? Can they be started indoors? Is there a way to keep them through the winter for future planting? I live in the Rocky Mountains of Montana at 4800ft. Please and thank you, sincerely appreciated!!
Hi Lisa,
The pods that remain on your peonies will contain seeds. You can collect the seeds when the pods turn dark brown and slightly crack open. To make sure that you don’t lose seeds to birds or weather, tie nylon or small mesh bags around maturing seed pods before they split open to catch any seeds that may fall. Ripe seeds can be planted immediately after collection. Peony seeds require a warm/cold cycle to produce their first true leaves in the spring. In nature, seeds are dispersed on warm late summer to autumn days and quickly germinate. By winter, they form small roots. They are then dormant during the winter before emerging in the spring.
Press peony seeds into the ground at no more than a 1/2 inch depth. Then cover with an inch of wood chips to provide protection.
You can certainly dry and save seeds for future planting, but dry seed takes longer to hydrate than fresh seed and dormancy is more difficult to break.
Hope this helps!
Two newly planted peonies have wilted and lost their leaves. My husband says they will come back in the spring. Will that?
Can you grow them in a large pot outdoors in the winter. I live in Fulton, MO.
I’m not sure where you live, but it’s well past peony season in most of the country. Peonies bloom in the spring.
They are wilting due to the hot summer sun and the stress of planting, making this an unsuitable time for them.
If they establish, they bloom every spring. Please see our guide above for the best time to plant and other info.
