After about 15 nights of sub-freezing temps as low as -4F, it is coming around to 40 to 50 degree
days. I should have mulched my new transplants. First pic is of a dowel rod used to mark one
of my fernies. Note it has pushed out of the ground about an inch.
Pic of a common lactiflora. Note the cracks in the soil around the crown. Appears
to have been raised about an inch. Expect this to be repeated several times before
spring.
I'd tamp it back in and mulch now. Put evergreen boughs over your plants, your leftover holiday tree maybe. When it snows next, it'll maintain temperature and stop the heaving. If you have any snow left around, you can shovel some atop the boughs to hold it down until the next snow. You could substitute a pile of leaves for the evergreens. There's a lot of winter left.
I hesitate pushing down upon the soil around them because
the root system on these newly transplanted peonies would
be delicate and probably be damaged. We are having some
rain which I hope will settle the soil back around the roots.
I have a couple of bags of 'hardwood fines mulch' I can spread
over them when things settle down. You are correct about the
coming months. 50 degrees in January and 20 degrees in
March really did a number on plants around here last year.
Wow, mine are still under about a foot of snow. Want some snow?? :)
I don't think snow would help. Yesterday was 50 or more. I
sprinkled a couple of shovels full of half-rotted mulch on all
my fernies--11 possibles from division, 2 purchased from
Hidden Springs and a couple of the weirdos that popped
up from my previous division that will need to wait until they
bloom before identification. Last year the fernies were just
beginning to open flowers when we had a hard frost.
From some pics I saved from last year, they are now at the
approximate stage as early March 09. Not a good sign.
Get some straw and throw on them. It's supposed to get cold again this week. Good luck! :)
This temperature thing happens here just about every year in January. My peonies never seem to be affected by this early warming, it's the March ones, followed by a severe cold then, that they don't seem to handle well at all. And indeed ...the cold is coming soon.
This is of one of the average growth stage. It should be one of
the single reds since they are about 2 weeks ahead of the old
antique doubles. Cold does not appear to affect them if it is
constant. Best thing for them is to have solidly frozen soil until
late February. It is the highs and lows that are a killer. We are
supposed to drop down to about 8 to 10 degrees this weekend.
That's why you put much over the tops of newly planted perennials. You want to keep the ground frozen and avoid the temperature swings. Just take it off come early to mid March.
That is why I have reservations about mulching with a layer of straw at this time.
I'm afraid it would keep them warm and force them into a more rapid growth.
The ground up mulch I placed over them will chill them during the coming cold
weather and slow them down. It will need to be removed in about a month.
You bring up an interesting point about mulching--it is meant to keep plants
cold, not warm. It took awhile for that to sink into my head. A couple of years
ago, I put about 4 inches of mulch over newly planted tulips in order to keep
the late fall weeds in check. They did very poorly and I think it was due to the
mulch which did not expose them to the winter freezing temps they need.
Fortunately most of mine are still dormant - though you have me worried Oldgardenrose, if you're already seeing growth.
I do have one here (newly planted last fall) that couldn't wait - but that's not uncommon here for first-year plants.
So much of North America has experienced a brutally cold winter. Not that we haven't experienced such temperatures, just not so extreme for such a long period. We probably all saw a January thaw. It will be interesting to see how our peonies are affected considering how close to the surface they are. I'm alway amazed when certain plants appear despite the cold but based on their internal calendars.
I wish certain annuals would be so cooperative.
Of my 30-40 peonies, I can always guarantee rain as soon as they bloom. For plants that are so hardy at living, I wish they had a longer bloom season. From the time the tree peonies start, I can look forward to about 6 weeks until they are all done.
The only flowers I've every lost due to winterwarming and freezing have been (of all things) daffodils. Thinking positive.
It wouldn't be Peony season if it didn't rain. :) LOL
I'm with you there. If my Peonies get really full and beautiful I know it's going to rain heavy very soon, lol
Nice to see Peony threads popping up again = Steve I have not been here for ages but figured you might already have some blooms! LOL!
Ticker is so right about the mulch. I need to wait until into Dec if I am to add leaf mulch on frozen ground - by then we have lots of snow so does not always work. I had 3 garbage cans full of leaves this fall that never were spread!. Last month in a chinook all the snow melted off my new hosta bed and the leaves blew of too so I was able to throw on a new layer of leaves but had to shovel snow from the veggi garden beds on top- half the yard away. Did you know a garbage can full is snow is d***m heavy?
Hi Fancy! :-)
Naww nothing yet - actually most things are fairly well on-time for me this year - they were starting to come up a fw weks ago but then the cold set in and the growth kind of halted.
Here is my earliest-blooming peony (well one of them) - Abalone Pearl- just went out an took this tonight.
Wow, Steve, sthat is awesome!
Why thanks Donna :-) But look at what I sw this evening in one of my new peony beds....this is Raspberry Charm I just planted last fall and looks like I am getting at least two flowers - both shoots have buds ;-)
And here is "Abalone Pearl" in the same new bed outside my side door - also with a bud,....
Fantastic Steve. I think it's because you purchase from great suppliers and boy do you know how to plant those babies! I used to put them in so deeply that they wouldn't turn up for a year or two, and then when I posted a pic someone (one of our regular posters - the name escapes me, but may be Tracey) noted - oh, you mulch your peonies? I went out and pushed the mulch off, and up pops Moonstone planted three years before, amongst others.
Can't wait to see what happens this year. Every peony I planted in fall of 2008 appeared in 2009. Some bloomed (White Cap, Lois, Burma Ruby) and others produced tiny buds. Can't wait - and won't have to, because we'll get your pics!
Donna
Stevie, I stlll have a foot or two of snow on the ground. I'm getting jealous of your babies popping up and saying hello! :) LOL More pictures please!!
I bought a small--2 stems-- intersectional peony (Lolly-Pop) at our farmers' market. It's in a mostly sunny spot. Any special advice? Should I cover it this winter? I usually use oak leaves on plants that are fragile, but I read on an Internet post to use straw. I am zone 5 but I use zone 4 for winter protection. What do you think?
IMO You should not need to give a Peony winter protection in your zone.
I use oak and other tree leaves as mulch. Free from my trees. I would suggest mulching the first winter making certain that the leaves are not near the stems. Then pushing the leaves away from the stem area to form a circle keeping the leaves to retain the moisture in the soil.
Be careful to keep any mulch from the immediate stem area as that could cause fungus and other rots to form. For winter protection snow is the best mulch.
