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Trusted Contributor
Posts: 1,255
Registered: ‎03-13-2010

Question on planting a Peony

I bought a peony plant and Im not sure what to do with it.  Its small and in a pot right now.  If I plant it outside now will it survive the harsh Chicago winter?  I thought I would keep it inside until next year, but, I really dont like live plants indoors.  And if the recommendation is to plant outdoors, should it be in a pot or in the ground??

 

peony.JPG

Respected Contributor
Posts: 4,798
Registered: ‎07-24-2013

Re: Question on planting a Peony

i have peonies.  The best time to plant is Sept to early October depending on your zone. Chicago could be zone 5 or 6 ? If you typically get frost in early October than plant a month before.  i'm in zone 6 and we get first frost in later October.

 

 Remove the Peony  plant from the pot before planting.  There is a little tuber rooting the stem called the rhizome.  Make sure any extra "eyes" on the rhizome(s) are facing up .  Plant early enough for rhizomes to set root in the soil before frost. They are very hardy but they do need 4-6 hours of full sun. They like loamy soil and i use some bone meal on top of the plant bed. Avoid Nitrogen fertilizers for better blooms (nitrogen feeds the leaves but not the buds) HTH!

Honored Contributor
Posts: 16,578
Registered: ‎03-11-2010

Re: Question on planting a Peony

also peonies dont like to be transplanted, so be sure plant it in place it will stay, they will be happy and come up every spring

Honored Contributor
Posts: 17,655
Registered: ‎03-09-2010

Re: Question on planting a Peony

[ Edited ]

They need to be in the ground to make the buds for the following year. if the soil is too warm, all you will get is foliage if kept indoors. Chicago is perfect for planting peonies.

 

Make sure the plant is planted at the level it was in the pot and that the red eyes on the tubers are at least 2" below the soil surface. If planted too deep, there will be no flowers either. The remainder of the root should be about 8" below the soil surface.

 

They thrive on neglect pretty much but I usually fertilize mine every other year in the spring with Plant Tone by Espoma around the plant. 

 

Here is more info on the care of peonies written by yours truly.

 

☼The best place to seek God is in a garden. You can dig for him there. GBShaw☼
Honored Contributor
Posts: 11,415
Registered: ‎03-12-2010

Re: Question on planting a Peony

[ Edited ]

@JustJazzmom Beautifully done, "yours truly"!

 

I wish I'd done just a little bit more careful selection of the spot I planted my peony a few years ago and/or how I planted it.  It has part sun, part shade, and gave me a tiny bloom the second year, but then just leaves in the past two years.  And I thought I had been so careful.

I now wonder if I didn't place the red eyes at exactly the right depth.

I love the fragrance of a peony.

 

I suppose, even if it doesn't like to be disturbed, I could try repositioning it and resign myself to waiting a few more years for blooms since it's not blooming now.  Lovely foliage, though.

 

I am a Master Gardener, too.  I enjoyed the program.  Love that university extension stuff!

[was Homegirl] Love to be home . . . thus the screen name. Joined 2003.
Honored Contributor
Posts: 17,655
Registered: ‎03-09-2010

Re: Question on planting a Peony

@GingerPeach

Wait till September and dig up the entire peony and try and replant in an area similar to the amount of sun a rose or a sun loving perennial like cone flowers might get. You should see those red eye buds by that time. Make sure the eye buds are at least 2" below the soil surface-- any deeper and you get foliage and no blooms. Be sure to tamp down the soil too.

 

Some areas in the warmer south like SC/NC may need to place the eyes closer to the surface say about 1" below the soil because the peony does need the cold to create blooms.

 

In my MG class we had so much fun and I met so many people from all walks of life (we had 50 people in our year's class) and we had to payback with 150 hours time over the next 2 years with 25 of those hours on the horticultural phone lines answering homeowner questions. That peony sheet gave me 5 hours time payback. I had to contact one place for permission to use their photos -- I think it was the shape of the flowers; but in the end were not used in the final copy.

 

I really need to update the sheet as there are now ITOH peonies which are crosses between herbaceous and woody tree peonies. I would need to google for info on care and planting of ITOH peonies and of course they would have to be reputable sites for that information not some Home & Garden Magazine. It would have to be some extension or college/university site for that info to be allowed. Plus would have to write and ask permission to use that info for our county sheet too.

☼The best place to seek God is in a garden. You can dig for him there. GBShaw☼
Honored Contributor
Posts: 11,415
Registered: ‎03-12-2010

Re: Question on planting a Peony

Thank you.  September is not far away.  I think I could wait a bit longer perhaps, since I'm in northern California and fall is our primary planting season.    Or if I checked and saw that the eye buds were currently at the right level, then maybe I could rig up some mirrors to give it more sun.   (Yeah, can you see anyone doing that?  No, I didn't think so!)  

 

I, too, loved the hours of payback we had to do.  I also chose answering phones since I liked the people contact.  I think I would have enjoyed it even more now than back then.  I find I'm more social these days.  (I find that interesting about myself.)

 

I very much liked the sheet.  Well-organized, everything explained in just enough detail, just really well done.  Thank you for sharing!

 

[was Homegirl] Love to be home . . . thus the screen name. Joined 2003.
Honored Contributor
Posts: 17,655
Registered: ‎03-09-2010

Re: Question on planting a Peony

I still like working the phones and when possible doing the soil testing.

I like the phones because you never know what kinds of calls you will receive. Some folks are intimidated by the calls, but I am not. I have to run over there tomorrow to the Extension office to evaluate the trial Earth Kind rose garden. All of us are impressed with the 'Black Forest', 'Solero Vigorosa' and 'Innocencia Vigorosa' roses and how well they are doing in this heat.

☼The best place to seek God is in a garden. You can dig for him there. GBShaw☼
Honored Contributor
Posts: 13,954
Registered: ‎03-10-2010

Re: Question on planting a Peony

Make sure NOT to plant it too deeply! It will never flower if it's too deep in the ground.

New Contributor
Posts: 3
Registered: ‎04-28-2014

Re: Question on how long a peony should bloom

i have so many peonies in my yard and they all bloom beautifully, but the blooms are gone within 2-3 weeks.  I fertilize all my plants for bigger blooms, using one of those Cottage Farm products, and I am not sure that helps.  I am also always in a quandary about when they can be cut back. When they aren't blooming, the foliage is nice, but they grow so fast, they crowd out other more colorful plants.  Must I wait until they turn brown?  Any guidance is appreciated.