A few years ago, one of my dear friends sent me this stunning book on peonies (written by Jane Eastoe and gorgeously photographed by Georgianna Lane) for my birthday.
We’ve been friends for more than twenty years and we share a love of gardening. Let’s just say we know each other pretty well and this was a very well-received gift
During the gray cold months of late fall and winter, when gardening is off the table, I’ve taken to browsing the peony-filled pages, just to encourage my eyes to soak in the vibrant colors. My soul needs some gentle reassurance that the beginning of flower season is not that far away.
After spending so much time looking at peonies in a book, I’ve decided to bring some into my garden this year. I’ve grown them before, in previous gardens, and I’ve really been missing their sweet fragrance.
And I want to take you on a peony plant-along and hopefully convince you to bring this gorgeous perennial into your garden as well.
When is the best time to plant my peonies?
As with most perennials, we can plant peonies either in the fall or in spring.
There is a difference in what we have available in either season though.
If we’re planting peonies in the fall, what we’ll usually find in store or with online suppliers are bare roots. This means that we’re planting dormant peony root stocks that will overwinter in the ground and emerge the following spring.
When we’re planting peonies in spring, they’re usually only available as a potted plant. In early spring and late winter, you might be able to find bare rhizomes for sale; but later than that the roots will be taken off the shelf because they would already start to break dormancy.
Which choice is better?
I don’t think it’s a question of better, but it is a question of timing. In the first couple of years, we have to focus on strong root development, not on flowering.
What is the best time to get the roots in the ground?
If you’re planting in the fall, the best time is several weeks before a hard freeze. This will allow the roots to recover and adjust to their new environment.
In spring, the best time is once the ground is sufficiently warm. This will depend on your gardening zone, of course. In my area, that usually happens anytime between mid-March and mid-April.
Let me take you along while I plant my peonies this spring.
I have a few tips that might prove helpful to get these gorgeous perennials off to a good start.
But before we move on to getting the peonies in the ground, here’s what you should take into account first.
Peonies NEED full sun in order to thrive!
I’m afraid there’s no workaround for this requirement. If we want our peonies to bloom and not just limp along, they NEED to be in full sun. This translates to about six hours of sun a day.
If you are in a gardening zone that gets scorching sun in the afternoon (such as zones 8 and 9), then some afternoon shade may be good for peonies. But only in this scenario.
Peonies NEED well-draining soil in order to thrive!
Of course, the downside of the full sun requirement is that we also have to make sure that the soil doesn’t dry up too quickly, which is so often the case with portions of the garden that get this much direct sunlight.
And the kicker is that we have to strike the balance between not too dry, but well-draining enough. If there are pools and puddles lingering around after it rains, or after we water the plants, that’s not good either. It may lead to root rot and fungal problems for the peonies.
Peonies need consistent moisture, but not constant moisture. So we have to water them regularly, but avoid overwatering them.
That’s why I like to take care of the health of my soil year round. So in spring, I add a layer of compost to boost the nutrients in the soil and also improve its water-holding properties. I also add extra compost to the planting site every single time I get a new perennial in the ground.
Now that you know when and where to plant your peonies, let’s go out in the garden and put some in the ground.
I’m planting my peonies in spring. But if you’re doing this in the fall, I’ve also added some information on that at the end of the article.
Step 1: Prepare your peony planting site.
I take this step very seriously because peonies are expensive plants. They won’t bankrupt me, but compared to other perennials at the garden center, they seem to command quite a high price for such young plants.
So even though it may seem like an extra step – and an extra expense – I always try to do whatever I can to give them a boost right at planting time.
I’ve started adding a scoop of mycorrhizae right before I get my perennials in the ground. I like to refer to it as “gardener’s magic dust” because it works out of sight to boost the strength of the roots and thus the size and longevity of the plant.
You can read more about how this stuff helps your plants at planting time here.
The mycorrhizal fungi create a symbiotic relationship with the plant, a relationship that improves nutrient uptake, soil structure and the plant’s resilience against pests as well as environmental stressors.
This is really potent stuff, so I only use a small scoop of it for every plant, according to the instructions on the bag.
By my calculations, it costs less than a dollar to add a sprinkling of mycorrhizae every time I plant a new perennial. The average price for a peony is around 35 dollars, with some cultivars going for as much as 79 dollars. I think the one dollar investment is definitely worth it!
I make sure to mix it around in the soil evenly. This is also when I add some extra compost or leaf mold to improve drainage.
One mistake when planting peonies…
Speaking of protecting our “investment,” let’s avoid this one mistake that could set back our peonies. Namely, planting them too deeply.
We need to plant them at the same depth as they have been planted in their nursery pot. That means roots underground, crown right at ground level, the entirety of the stem above ground.
(You’ll see that the same is true when planting bare root peonies, if you read till the end.)
When I picked up this potted peony at the store, I thought there’s no way it’s planted that deeply. The nursery pot seemed way too tall for a peony. I don’t know whether they use such large pots for ease of shipping or if it was just a marketing decision to accommodate the oversized label sleeve.
Step 2: Get your peony in the ground.
It turned out that my suspicion was correct. The bottom third of the nursery pot was just extra potting soil. I think they used such a large container because the rhizomes were quite large and jammed in.
Honestly, the hardest part of this planting project was getting the peony rhizomes out of the pot. I didn’t want to pull hard on the stems because they are quite tender and breakable. And since it’s fresh growth, they’re also full of water and would have snapped like celery stalks.
So I had to dig around the edges of the pot and pull out the peonies by the crown.
I got a bit nervous, but look how gorgeous these rhizomes were. So healthy and sturdy. I definitely made the right choice with this cultivar called ‘Longlife Red.’
Adjusting the rhizomes and getting them in the ground was a bit tricky because the stems had been growing a bit lopsided in the nursery pot.
But that’s perfectly normal and it will correct itself over the first growing season as the plant fills up and leans towards the sun.
The essential rule: Don’t bury the peony crown.
I could have been tempted to bury the rhizomes deeper and use soil to prop them up a bit and make them look upright. But that would have been a mistake.
It’s essential that we always transplant peonies at the same depth as they were planted in the nursery pot.
The crown needs to be at ground level once you’re done with planting. No roots exposed. No stems buried.
I then backfilled the planting hole with the remaining potting soil from the nursery pot, and extra compost from my own compost bins.
Step 3: Water, stake and mulch the peony plant.
I finished by watering everything really well (avoiding watering the leaves and just focusing on deep-watering the roots). Then I topped up the soil again, just because the water had settled it a bit too low and I was afraid it would go even lower after a heavy rain.
Staking is an extra step that I wouldn’t usually bother with when I’m planting perennials. But when planting peonies, staking right from the get-go is important. Especially for a baby peony as tall as the one I’ve just planted.
First of all, because it’s tender and I wouldn’t want it to sway in a windstorm and snap. And secondly, because peonies produce really large blooms. The flowers often get too heavy for the stalks, so they will need staking later in the season anyway.
I’m using a circular support for corralling the peonies. This will keep them upright, yet keep them loose enough to allow for air flow. It may look a bit silly now, but it will fill up over the rest of the growing season. This cultivar is fairly compact, so even though I might need to go up a size in circular stakes, this setup should be enough for the next couple of months.
As usual, I’m finishing up the transplanting process by applying a bit of mulch around the perimeter of the plant. You can use wood chips, dry leaves, leaf mold or fresh compost.
Is the process the same when I plant bare root peonies?
That’s right. Most of the steps are exactly the same whether you’re planting potted peonies or bare root ones. You have to prepare the soil just as well and always pay attention to how much sun the plant will get.
When you’re planting bare roots, you’ll want to make sure that you’re getting them in the ground the right side up, with the “eyes” facing up. Then cover up everything and give it a good soak.
The only slight difference is that there’s a bit more urgency to get bare roots in the ground. You’ll have to plant them as soon as you get them, because the rhizomes are prone to drying faster if we leave them out of the ground for too long.
I hope my guide to peony planting has given you a bit of inspiration – and confidence – to bring these gorgeous herbaceous perennials into your garden this year.