Peonies – How to Plant & Care For a Perennial Favorite.

Peony Planting Requirements
Peonies are beautiful and they smell amazing. Peonies can live for as long as 50 years, so it makes sense to choose your planting site wisely.

• Full sun, light afternoon shade in warmer climates is recommended.

• Rich, well-drained soil. They will benefit from organic material/compost.

• Blooms best in climates that experience a pronounced period of winter chilling.

• Plant away from shrubs and large trees so as not to compete for root space and nutrients.

• Plant in early fall (early September until mid October)

How To Plant Peonies
A mature peony plant can spread out to a diameter of 3 feet or more so be sure to space them out when planting. The most common reason for a peony failing to flower is planting it too deeply. So when planting it’s important that the top of the crown is no more than 2 inches below the soil surface. Generally you’ll end up digging a large hole about 12 inches deep. Be sure to mix in some compost and some bone-meal. If you don’t have bone-meal mix in some general fertilizer.

Caring for Established Plants
Peonies are survivors, but they love a little extra care you can give them.

• In the autumn cut the stems about 3 inches above the soil and clear away the dead leaves. Add a handful of bone-meal or general fertilizer over the top.

• If you’re going to mulch, avoid mulching on top of the crown or your plant may become too deeply buried.

• In the early spring add a couple cups of fireplace ash to the soil and work it in.

• Larger flowers will be produced if you remove the side buds on each stem as soon as they are visible.

Here’s some great sites to purchase a peony tree:

Garden Direct
www.directgardening.com – A collection of tree peonies as inexpensive as $12.95. You can choose from pink, white, red, rainbow, purple Nishiki, yellow Kinkaku, etc. GardenDirect has a flat shipping fee no matter the size of the order. This is great for large orders.

Blooming Bulb
www.bloomingbulb.com – A variety of peonies for only $6.30. Free shipping as well! They sell out quick.

Spring Hill Nursery

www.springhillnursery.com – Beautiful peonies for only $9.99. Even better, if you make a purchase through this blog you can take $25 off a purchase of $50 or more.