How to Plant Peony Roots (and Keep Them Blooming for Decades)
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These May show-stoppers are some of the easiest flowers to grow. Once established, you can pretty much ignore peonies. Here’s how to get these beauties off to a great start and blooming for years (even decades) to come.
WHEN TO PLANT:
Peonies grow best when they are planted in the fall before the ground freezes. They can also be planted in the spring but they establish slower and I find it a bit harder to keep them hydrated.
WHERE TO PLANT:
Plant your roots in full sun, where they will receive 6 - 8 hours of light each day. While some varieties can handle a bit less, I give these blooms plenty of light which maximizes the number of blooms they can produce. Take care when choosing your spot as peonies like well-draining soil and do not like to be transplanted; they often quit blooming for a season or two after changing location.
HOW TO PLANT:
Place your roots 3 - 4 feet apart. This is important for root development below and air circulation up top between plants. Dig a hole a few inches deeper and wider than your root on all sides. Place your root in the hole with the majority of its eyes facing up and positioned so that the top of the root will be no more than 2’’ below the soil. Add a bit of compost and bone meal to the dirt and cover your root completely. Carefully tamp the soil to eliminate air pockets, being careful not to push the root too far below the surface. Blooms planted too deep will send up foliage with little to no flowers.
FALL CARE:
Cut off all the foliage once spent as leftover leaves can foster bacteria growth the following year.
Established peonies do just fine in freezing temperatures. However, if your roots are newly established and subjected to several periods of freezing and thawing during the winter, they can be susceptible to frost heaving (when ice expands in the soil and pushes the root up to the surface, exposing it to frost damage). To protect your new plants, place an extra 6’’ or so of compost on top of the planted root. You can even add a layer of leaves or other garden debris on top for extra protection. Just make sure to remove that extra layer before your plant starts sending up its shoots as it prohibits flowering if kept covered during its growing season.
WATERING
When you first tuck your root in, give it a good drink. The soil should be moist but not soupy. Here in the PNW there is usually no need for further watering in the fall, but if you live somewhere with dry Autumn weather, keep an eye on the soil to make sure your root doesn’t completely dry out. There is no need to water once the cold weather sets in as your peony root will go dormant during the colder months.
STAKING / SUPPORT:
Peony blooms are quite large (and can hold a lot of rain water!) which can make the flowers quite top heavy. To prevent them from flopping over, I like to pop a tomato cage on them, or put a bamboo stake on either side and wrap a little twine around them at time of planting. This provides some support when the blooms get water logged. If you’re planting a long row, you can also sink some t-posts every 12 feet or so and “corral” them as you would your growing dahlia plants.
PRO TIPS:
Resist the urge to cut the leaves once the blooms fade. Your peonies might look a wee bit sad after the heat rolls in but leaving its foliage allows the plant to continue to photosynthesize, which helps the roots continue to grow. Peony stems also have fantastic fall color and provide some of my favorite foliage for late-season arrangements.
Once the first frost hits, I cut my stems off 2” from the ground and throw the stems away. Peonies can carry over disease from year to year so I choose to put them in the trash instead of composting them.
No need to worry about the ants. They’re just there to enjoy the peony nectar (and can actually help to protect your plants from other problem-causing insects!) If you need to get rid of them, the plants can be sprayed off with the hose or you can turn cuts upside down and swish them around in a bucket of cool water.
If you live somewhere with hot summers, choose peonies that bloom early. This will ensure that you get some flowers before the plants retreat amidst the heat. We have a long peony season in the PNW so I like to plant very early, early, mid, late and very late flowering varieties which stretches my season to 5-6 weeks long.
Peonies need time to develop and often take a season (or two) to get established. Don’t panic if you don't see blooms in your first year. If your plant has healthy green leaves, you’re good to go. You can give them a little fertilizer or compost the year after initial planting but be careful not to over do it. Peonies only need fertilizer every 2 - 3 years. I actually never fertilize mine;)