I FINALLY decided to rearrange the fern leaf peony since it hasn't bloomed in a few seasons. I know I probably should have waited till the fall, but there is this small matter of finding it.
It has bloomed in this spot, but possibly more dirt was piled on it, so I figured I'd reseat it so it would not be so deep. It is such a sweet little thing.
It turned out to be 2 plants, but the big surprise was that it did not have the big, woody root system of newer herbaceous peonies planted nearby. It seems to have a smaller, softer root, and I'm hoping someone will let me know if that is appropriate for a ferny.
About a month ago I transplanted to a better location a number of herbaceous peonies that failed to bloom well, and they are all doing well even though I don't expect blooms this season. All planted about 3 or 4 seasons ago, they had gargantuan roots.
Thanks, Marcia
Fern Leaf Peony roots
Fern leaf peonies roots are no where near what an herbaceous peonies root looks like. The closer you get to the specie plant you may find that you have one necklike area below the crown with a bunch of carrot like roots radiating downward from a central area.
A very heavy word of caution. Moving peonies unless you need to such as to save are hazardous to the plant. Certain types of roots are formed with the cooling in the fall which maintain the peony during the next season. These roots then grow into regular roots if given time. Moving off season especially in the spring can destroy these roots retarding the plant. If moved too often the plants will start to draw on the established plant rather than the soil which will eventually kill the plant.
Thank you, Alison(?) for your input and expertise. It is a loose, soft soil with good drainage and was very close to a herbaceous peony.
This is my 6th summer in this house, and the fern leaf peony has not bloomed in at least 3. I remembered OldGardenRose suggested last year to move it in the fall, but I could not find it. I figured I would just raise it up a bit, which I did to one and moved the other a few inches away. In an area bordering that garden we grow tomatoes, which is the reason I thought my prince might have thrown dirt/new compost on it in his enthusiasm and it would in fact be deeper. However, it never occurred to me that the tomatoes might be affecting the plant. Also there is an uncontrollable, invasive form of artemisia (another gift from the former owner) spreading underground. It even seems to be spreading to my other gardens.
It was so unseasonably hot here last year, and it pretty much stayed that way for quite some time. Then it became horribly cold. I figured it's now or never. I will not move it again even if it does not seem to be happy. But I will say a little prayer.
Thanks again.
I have a double red fernie which I need to move. It ended up being above ground level and the small crown has deterioriated and squirrels have damaged some of the roots. It has one good healthy stem with good leaves so it is worth trying to salvage. I will post some pics when it is dug which should be within a day or two.
Looking forward to your pix. Sorry I used your name in vain.
I think AH is correct about moving peonies. I have had some success moving my fernies a couple of times but they would have been better to stay in one place, provided that one place is correct for them. Direct, full sun and soil with good, loose drainage. Mine are now in raised beds but suffer some shade due to adjacent trees.
The part she speaks of concerning bud set and nutrition makes sense now that I have seen the issue for real. I have one single red which had 8 or 10 stems with flowers the first year after I moved it but, this year, only has half that number of stems and no blossoms. First year after move ok; second year not good. I will know for sure next season.
Feel free to use my name anytime fernies are involved. I was flattered that someone read my rambling posts.
This is the total root system dug today. Most of the crown and the tops of old roots are decayed. They were not in good shape when I planted them since this was an extra division and I wanted to see what it would do.
This is a closeup of the lower section of a larger root. You should see the nodule (s) in the finer roots which is supposed to be one of the ways the species FL multiplies. The fatter roots could be nearly 10 years old since they have been moved twice.
The final salvaged plant. One root, one stem and one eye. I would not have dug this early but it was between 2 healthy plants and I wanted to keep the root disturbance of them to a minimum.
The wee one in between the two single reds is the one dug.
Humor me. If you have not already trashed the rest could you replant the good roots without eyes in an area that they will not be disturbed for a couple of years. I think planting shallowly might stimulate the roots to develop eyes. Of course they may not.
They are finicky, aren't they? Before I touched them, their growth was sitting on top of the soil. After loosening them up, they were about 6 inches high. I did not inspect them as I did not want to handle them too much.
I see that one took a beating with this afternoon's storm. I hope it is straight tomorrow. Some of the herbaceous peonies are also ben over a bit.
AH, I am with you on that. I have read where tenuifolia was one of the very few peonies which could form buds from roots without a crown. I will think of the term used about 11 o'clock tonight. I trimmed all the decayed material off the roots and saved them with the idea of offering them to anyone wanting to experiment and possibly grow clones of a very old P.tenuifolia 'Flora Plena' or double red fern leaf.
They are supposed to be cut into pieces and planted in sand or sandy soil and, with some luck, will create a new plant in a couple of years.
Adventitious was the term I was trying to think of. Two to three years may be required to produce a stem.
This message was edited Apr 28, 2011 7:21 PM