Peonies will grow and flower abundantly for decades when planted correctly. The bare roots should be planted in the fall or early spring. They should be sited in full sun, planted into rich, well-draining soil, and the eyes should only be 1 ½-2 inches under the soil surface. If a peony is planted too deeply or sited in deep shade, it will produce foliage but no flowers. They perform best in zones 3-8, with a soil PH of 6.5-7, and need to experience at least 60 days of cold winter temperatures to flower abundantly. Most cultivars grow to a height and width of approximately 3x3 feet so give them lots of room in the garden, or plan to move nearby plants as the years go on. If you’re growing peonies in rows for cut flower production, the roots should be spaced 24 inches apart, with rows that are 18 inches apart. Good air circulation around the plants is vital to preventing bacterial and fungal diseases. Peony roots are sold by the number of eyes or grade number. The more eyes a root has or the higher the grade number, the sooner you will get flowers from that root. Here I have a grade 1 peony and I can see the presence of 5 eyes. To start, loosen the soil where the peony root will be planted and add some compost to the area. Dig out an area one and half times the width of my root. Position the peony root so that the eyes are 1 ½ -2 inches below the soil surface. This is the most important part. Next, backfill with soil, firm it in lightly, and give it a deep watering. Mulch around the perimeter of the peony to help suppress weeds and retain moisture. Just take care not to pile lots of mulch on top of the root because this can cause it to become planted too deeply also. Peonies take a few years to become established. Don’t worry if the first year you only see foliage, and the second year you only have one or two flowers. As the years pass the root system and plant will get bigger and the peony will begin to flower with abundance. The first thing you’ll see in spring is the red sprouts emerging from the earth. Then the leaves will begin to unfurl, and by late May into June they will begin to flower. Large established peonies benefit from a support system so their heavy heads don’t fall to the ground. You can use special peony supports or simply surround them with stakes and twine. Another option is to cut your peony flowers. Since the best time to cut them is in marshmallow bud stage, which is when the bud squishes easily between your fingers, you’ll be harvesting the flowers before they have a chance to get top heavy and fall over. You can even store peonies dry for weeks by picking them in marshmallow bud stage, wrapping them in brown paper, and laying them in your refrigerator. When you want to use the peonies, remove them from storage but keep them wrapped, recut the stem ends and rehydrate them in a bucket of water. In a few hours they’ll look like they were freshly cut from the garden. After your peonies are done blooming allow the foliage to remain in the garden until the first frost kills the leaves. At that time remove all the dead foliage to prevent disease. After many years have passed, you may want to divide your peony. This is best done in the fall. Start by cutting off all the foliage at ground level, then dig and lift the entire root from the ground. Next, spray it down with water to remove most of the soil so you can clearly see the eyes. Look for a place where it may be possible to pull the clump apart or use a sharp knife to divide it into sections. Each division should have at least 3 to 5 eyes and a healthy mass of roots. Divisions with less than 3 eyes will grow, but it may be several years before the plant produces flowers. Repeat the planting steps we talked about earlier and you’ll be surrounded by peony blooms in no time!

• published: 20 Apr 2023
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