I live in zone 6a and I just bought 2 Peony roots yesterday.A Felix Crousse and a Sarah Bernhardt.Can I plant them now or should I wait until it gets a little warmer and how deep?And I was wondering if they will bloom this year?
I Need Some Peony Planting Guidance !
Before I had a clue as to what I was doing with peonies, I bought some in November and put them
in an aquarium filled with potting soil under a grow light. Come spring I planted them thinking they
needed to be protected from the cold. They all made it ok but only had small stems & leaves the
same fall and didn't develope into viable plants until the second year. It seems as though you can
plant them anytime as long as the temp is not burning hot. The ideal time is late in the fall but it
still takes at least 2 years to have decent blooms, at least that has been my experience. If you
have them now, plant them asap. You have nothing to lose since you should not try to store them
all summer.
The many experts on this forum can coach you a lot better than I.
Thank you ,I kinda thought that but wasn't sure.It was 72 here yesterday and 58 today so I can get out there now ,at least the ground has thawed....LOL.But supposed to get in the 20's again by the end of the week.....YUCK !
I am directly east of St. Louis, MO and we are due to have the same thing.
And please remember, do not plant the eyes of the peony any deeper than two inches deep or it will not bloom for you. :) The eyes are those funky little nubbens on the root that look pink or white. (Kinda like eyes on a potato).
Thank You Ticker.And you plant the eyes up.right?
Correct and no deeper than 2 inches. :)
Diann, you're the best! Always there for anyone trying to grow these beauties. Always giving great guidance. (I love the funky little nubbins reference).
Donna
Thanks Donna, if I can help someone it's cause I've learned a lot of what I know in this forum. :) There are a lot of more wise and knowlegeble folks on here than me.
valrita
Mar 18, 2009
How deep did you plant the eyes?
If you have buds, you've done it right. From my experience, if you plant them too deep, you won't get buds, no matter how many years you wait.
Can you give us a picture? But, I tend to agree with Mags...
Taynors,
I had peonies planted too deeply for several years before Diann (Ticker) looked at pics of them and realized I had covered them with mulch. Once I removed it, they were fine. In fact, two that had never showed themself produced plants and one bloomed. I hope that happens for you this year.
Donna
I just read this on a different thread......................:...Peonies go 2 inches below the soil..no lower. They will come up if deeper than the two inches...but probably not bloom.
Well i see some little pink things on the roots. I don't really remember how deep. Some i took from my old house and had to dig them up and replant several times last year. fall and spring. I dug up the dirt ball around them and put them in the ground same size hole and depth. The ones i got from a coop. i think maybe 2-4 inches deep ? and heavy mulch. A stick like twig is sticking. I didn't know if i should have buried that too ? so it looks like sticks popping up I swiped away the mulch ?
i will try and get pics, my camera doesn't work and its raining :(
thanks for the info :) so glad i found you all. I didn't know we had a peonie forum ?
thank you so much for all the help
sue
A picture will really help. When you talk about the "little pink things" are you seeing them now or when you planted them? If you have them any deeper than two inches they are not going to bloom, and that depth includes mulch. When it quits raining get out there and get us some pictures and pull that mulch away from the crown of the plant. Which co-op did you participate in last fall? Did you get herbaceous peonies or tree peonies. There is a difference in how you plant them. :)
Ah, but we've got you now and so you're one of us. :) Welcome to the addiction! :)
Sue,
Ticker diagnosed my problem from a picture. Do try to send one if you can.
Donna
Ooooh, you got some nice peonies. :) I'll be waiting for a picture! :)
This may be a bit unorthodox but I like to plant peonies slightly humped above grade level so
the eyes will be level with the ground when the loose soil settles. This permits the roots to
soak up energy from the sun and the eyes get an early start. I cover the eyes with an inch
or two of soil or mulch in the late fall to prevent our infamous ice storms from breaking off
the eyes. I blow the soil or mulch off the plant with a leaf blower after they begin to pop to
the surface. Sounds freaky but it works.
Bravo if they look like that!
Donna
good news , i saw lots of pink eyes , coming up when i moved more mulch .The new one i got have some pink eyes too. YEah excited happy dancing. I didn't kill them !
Some are still a mystery but they could have been late season one ? gee i wrote down the names but now can't find the list ? sheesh
should i cover them with a light cover of mulch ? its got a bit cold last night in the 20 's ? or just leave them to get sun ?
thanks again
peonie newbie :)
sue
I'd probably ignore them. Peonies are really very hardy critters. :)
Yeah, I don't usually fret over my peonies. They can take a lot of cold and by the time they start showing color on their buds before blooming it will be nice and warm out. :)
Yes, they like the cold. :) Relax, they will be fine. :)
Taynors,
I agree. Our temps went back down to 7 degrees and the pips just paused. They are at it again, popping out tosay hi.
Donna
Hi,
Following up on the comment about planting differences between tree peonies and herbaceous peonies. I am a newbie and I have tree peonies roots ready to plant. HELP! I'm conflicted with potting them or putting them in the ground because I don't know if they are susceptable to underground creatures (gophers/moles) and I'm not prepared to put them into cages. Any advice? What is the best way to plant the trees?
thanks,
d
Plant the graft a good seven to ten inches deep in the ground and don't worry about them. With Tree Peonies I find that I usually have better luck with them if I plant them in the spring instead of in the fall. It seems like they can get established a bit better if I plant them in the spring. Which is just the opposite of what I do with herbaceous peonies. I haven't had a mole or gopher bother any peony, be it herbaceous or tree. Have fun and welcome to the addiction! :)
Thanks Ticker!
I've also read differing sun requirements. Full sun versus dappled sun. I'm in the SF Bay Area, so we are not blistering hot though we do get near 100 degrees one or two days a year. Is full sun too much for these plants? As instructed, I'm trying to find just the right place for them so they can be planted and then left undisturbed.
thanks,
d
Guamsorbit, I'd probably give them shade during the hottest part of the day. I can get away with full sun here, but some still do better with a bit of afternoon shade for me. I would think with your direct sun you'd want to be sure they have some shade so they don't just melt out on you.
thanks again!