I have grown peonies in the ground for several years, and they age from 1 year to 7. I would now like to put peonies in pots and I wonder:
How large a pot would one need for a new peony?
How large a pot for a mature peony - width and depth.
Any recommendations for those that are particularly successful?
Some of mine are pretty big.
Some quite demure. Burma Ruby
Some in between
And a few that are freaking huge
And, any advice on when to move them to a pot. Ours bloom at the end of May. Can I pull them this spring after I can spot them emerging from dormancy?
I would be very grateful for any help!
Donna
Consider something the size of or use the 1/2 whiskey barrels with several holes drilled into the bottom. Wood would be cooler in the summer time and probably warmer in the winter.
I tried 'em in pots - I don't think it will work. They like too much space and they don't like to be moved.
Carrie, I hear you. But I have nothing to lose because I would be buying nothing new.
Old Garden Rose, how nice to hear from you. What do you think of the size of these pots, at least for the smaller ones?
Love the pots! Is that taller one a canna?
Hard to judge the actual size of your pots but it appears they need to be about twice that size for peonies if you plan to leave them for several years. In five years you could expect to have root balls nearly 3 feet in diameter and at least 2 feet deep. That is why I mentioned the 1/2 whiskey barrels. They are made of white oak and charred on the inside in order to impart color and aroma to the good Bourbon whiskey. The peonies will not mind the leftovers. Once I planted a yellow mum in one and that sucker grew like crazy. Lived probably 4 years before I pulled it up. I think ah mentioned on another thread that the roots will cross over each other and strangle themselves in a tightly restricted area. Use the largest practicable pot you can find.
Yes the roots will strangle themselves but you can do some root pruning if necessary to keep the peony pot size. I think that new potting material should be added at the time of the pruning.
Recently there was a discussion I listened to concerning potted intersectionals. It appears that it is best to unpot and rinse all the potting material off the roots before planting. If there are any roots that do not point out or downward it is best to remove them. If left the thought is that as the roots grow only they will also strangle the plant but even quicker than regular peonies. Some of you may have seen this discussion on another group and can add additional information
Yes, Dr. Saul, it is. I love the over the topness of it. It was a gift from a fellow Dger. So is the other, a brugmansia.
OGR, thanks! Maybe Burma Ruby and Lady Alexandra Duff. They have been in less time and are smaller. I have a Festiva Maxima, White Frost, Lois , Cloud Cap and Moonstone that are quite young. I'll try those.
You are the best!
Hi ah. We cross posted. What an excellent idea! Root pruning may come in handy. This is very helpful! Thank you.
Here's what Lindsay D'Aoust )La Pivoinerie d;Aoust) says about growing peonies in containers:
14. Can I grow peonies in containers?
Yes, but success will require a certain amount of special attention.
A few things to take into consideration:
- Peonies have very large root systems, and even more so for herbaceous and intersectional peonies.
- Impeccable drainage is imperative
- Peonies are heavy feeders
- Peonies require an extended period of cold to overcome late season dormancy
- Exposure to a deep freeze can destroy the peony root system
- Peonies are best planted in fall, which is when they make the bulk of their new root growth.
Success with peonies in containers will depend on how large a container you can provide and what winter conditions are like.
Peonies in containers exposed to deep-freezing temperatures will likely not survive. Low temperatures however are required if the peony is to overcome seasonal dormancy. Hence success will depend on finding the right balance.
I wouldn't for example leave a peony in a pot on a balcony in Montreal over winter. It would have to be placed in an area with near freezing temperatures for the duration of the winter.
Peonies are heavy feeders so any container mix will have to take this into account. Drainage however must be excellent otherwise root rot will set in.
Dark coloured pots absorb much heat during the day and this can also have an adverse effect on a pot grown plant.
There is no universal tried and true method of growing peonies in pots. You will need to experiment to find what will work in your conditions.
Generally it is easier to achieve success with tree peonies than with herbaceous and intersectional peonies just because the root system of a tree peony is smaller.
Oh Carol. As always you are wonderful! I think you can see why I can't resist these things. I will start with peonies I installed in the last year, which still gives me a large selection. And I will let you know how it works. Some of these newer peonies can probably be moved with no root disturbance whatsoever.
I will definitely let you know. And I will be, as always, looking forward to your wonderful displays.
Thanks!
Donna
One of the issues I have had with non-porous pots such as plastic and glazed ceramic is, once the soil is soaked, it takes a very long time to dry. I drill several small holes in the sides and bottoms of plastics or use the common clay type. The barrels I mentioned are not airtight unless filled with liquid so they can breathe. You must drill several holes in the bottom for drainage. For easily moveable pots, you can overwinter them outside up against your house foundation and covered with an old piece of carpet or quilt.
OGR,
Such great tips.
The ceramic pots have a large hole in the bottom but only one. I have lots of large, quite large, clay pots, and I am now learning HEAVILY toward using those instead. Ceramic for the brugs instead. It sounds to me like they are overwinter the way I overwinter roses - in an unheated garage with an old quilt over the top, mostly to avoid the thaw freeze kill (which I experienced.
This is such great information, everyone. This thread is bookmarked so that I can find it easily in spring.
Those pots will probably be pretty heavy so if you need to move them in to the garage for the winter get some type of 'saucer' with wheels underneath!
Ah, look at the base of the pots!
LOL! Never even looked at the pic!
Well, why should you? You're the Peony Queen!
Very funny.
This is an early riser in a 4 gallon pot kept in a cold garage over winter. No-name white which I had planted an extra section the year before in a bed then forgot where I had planted it. Damaged it with a garden weasel and potted the salvage last fall. We are finally having some 40+ temps after a near 0 ice storm. Giving it some sunlight then will bring it back inside when we hit freezing temps again. I am seeing just a hint of red from a couple of my fernies so spring is just around the corner.
How fabulous OGR. I'm inspired.
Donna
I started digging up peonies. I waited until they actually broke dormancy and dug up some of my smaller ones and put them in pots. I'll keep you posted as to whether they actually bloom.
Thank you for all the tips!
Donna
One month later. Peonies will grow in pots for a year but, if you have seem some of the anemic ones in the gardening centers, you will see they perform much better in the ground. I am hoping to get at least one blossom from this experiment before choosing a permanent spot.
For those with peony cabin fever, especially those in the northeast, a shot of a FL just beginning to put out leaves and flower buds.
Oh, mine look like that! Fabulous!
Wow!
My FL still has 2 feet of snow on it! It is just inside the fence around my parking pad and a neighbor has been snow blowing the pad for me and it is all inside the yard- on top of my FL! I think I might have to go dig it out!
I have a bunch showing. I'm wondering if I can take a sharp spade and split some of the larger ones. I'm probably being greedy. You should see the way I'm going after perennials and bulbs! Shameless!
If you are speaking of a FL, cutting it apart with a shovel would probably be a disaster. I would dig a trench about a foot deep and shovel-wide around the perimeter of the clump, staying at least a foot away from the eyes. Put a tight nozzle on your garden hose and flush away the soil from the tubers and runners/stolons. You want to salvage all the small feeder roots possible. Makes a mess but the reward will be minimal loss of eyes and roots for division. The species variety will have eyes at the ends of stolons but they need to be connected to part of the crown attached to a tuber in order to have a good chance of survival. I purchased a species P.tenuifolia, the single one, and it came with two or three stolons about 6 to 8 inches long with the new eyes at the tips. Unless your soil is especially soft and loose, prying on the roots should cause a lot of damage and possible loss of new starts.
As always, OGR, I receive great advice from you. I can see that this is something that must be approached with care, and probably best done in the fall.
Thanks for keeping me from making a mess!
Donna
Please post a pic when all the new stems break thru the surface. If it is a sizeable clump, you could be looking at some serious pin money or high-dollar trading material. I think the FL's go for about $30 to $40 each. I spent $28.99 for a species P.tenuifolia in '09. I am "on the list" for a species P.tenuifolia 'Flora Plena' if Hidden Springs have enough to offer for sale this year. Don't know the price yet but I would expect it to be around $40. I have at least 5 of the very short double reds but I wanted one with a guaranteed pedigree for comparison.
Will do. It's very exciting. By the way, the pots are 18 inches by 20. The peony roots I am moving are those that bloomed for the first time in the last two years. I was fortunate in being able to dig beneath the entire plant. My biggest and most precious ones will have to wait until the fall.
OldGardenRose, I am so jealous. Mine are also under at least a foot of snow. Not courtesy of a snowblower. Just regular snow fall. I have opened the top of one of my tree peony cages (Ge Jin Zi) and there is a bud on it. first time since I planted it. It has had a rough go. almost dug it up to throw away last year in disgust and found buds on it. CAREFULLY put it back and it grew a really healthy bush. I can't get to the other two cages yet. Probably not til the end of March. should have put sticks so I could tell where it was safe to walk. I have stone steps behind them but I think I laid some flats of winter sown poppies on the stones so afraid to go that way.
hi, can anyone please tell me what compost to use to pot up some tree peonys into big pots, the gardern centre said ericarchus compost as they like an acid soil as i have just brought some today
Martini, you got it right.
Acidic compost for plants that love acid conditions, like azaleas, rhododendrons, blueberries, camellias, heathers, magnolias--if you've been told to 'acidify the soil' use some ericaceous material, and everything will turn out great! It's apparently primarily a UK term, which is why it is unfamilar to you. Here you would simply ask for acidic compost/mulching materials, which you did, and which you got!.
Donna
thank you ,i can plant them tomorrow
Your peonies are all so beautiful, Donna. I am eager to see how your potting experiment goes. I am sure you will keep us posted though :-)
What's the big white one again???
Steve
White Frost. It was hybridized by Reath. It's in Allan Rogers book as a promising peony. I've got to get you a pic. Several huge eyes have emerged and turned white. The root was so big I couldn't get it all. Doesn't matter. It laughed at me and kept growing. I'll take a pic. It's almost scary. We are far too northerly for this. I HIGHLY recommend this peony. Interesting that my fav peonies have become the ones sent by mistake - White Frost (THANK YOU STEVE!!!!) and Lady Alexandra Duff.
Also taken are White Cap, Moonstone and Burma Joy. I dug them after they broke dormancy and got the entire plants. Ad they continue to develop.
So four so far.
Donna
I have moved a total of six peonies:
White Frost
Festiva Maxima
Coral Charm
White Cap
Burma Joy
Lois
Moonstone
Hey! White, coral dark pink and red!
In some cases they had obviously broken dormancy, in that they were above ground. But in several cases I simply knew where they were because of the bits of last year's stems. Some of the ones that were still underground (White Frost being the most obvious) had snow white pips, that then changed color to pink and then red. I was concerned that I had damaged them by not letting them break ground by themselves, but the ones I did this with actually seem to be developing faster than the others, even though I did not get all of the root.
From what I am experiencing, you can dig them up with no problem if you get most of the root. It turns out that I will be moving to a house with a garden in November or so of this year, so these six peonies (all but one gifts from Steve) won't be in a pot for long.
The lesson seems to be that you can dig them up in spring AFTER they start to grow. I would not recommend dividing them, however.
Donna
