How to Cultivate Peonies: The Ultimate Guide to Peony Flowers
Botanical Name
Paeonia spp.
Plant Type
Flower
Sun Exposure
Full Sun
Soil pH
Neutral
Bloom Time
Spring to Summer
Flower Color
Pink, Purple, Red, White, Yellow
Hardiness Zone
3 to 8
Planting, Growing, and Caring for Peony Flowers
Peonies are perennial favorites known for their spectacular blooms and rich, green foliage. This guide will walk you through the essentials of caring for peonies, ensuring they thrive and continue to enchant with their beauty year after year.
Understanding Peonies
In the mid-20th century, peony catalogs featured just a handful of varieties—white, crimson, and rose pink. Today, the choices are virtually endless. These perennial flowers are best planted in the fall, yielding magnificent blooms from spring to summer. Peonies are known for their stunning cut flowers and their resilient green foliage that persists throughout the growing season.
Peonies are exceptionally cold-hardy and thrive in climates with a chilly winter. This need for a cold period can be a challenge for gardeners in warmer regions, but once established, peonies can flourish for generations, with some living for over a century.
Peony Blooming Period
Peonies bloom from late spring to early summer, varying with location and specific variety. To extend the peony season, many nurseries offer a range of early, midseason, and late-blooming varieties, allowing for a prolonged display of these beautiful flowers.
Peonies are adaptable from Hardiness Zone 3 to 8. They prefer full sun and well-drained soil, thriving particularly well in cold winters due to their need for a chilling period for bud development.
Types of Peony Flowers
Peonies come in six distinct flower types:
- Anemone: An advanced Japanese form, such as ‘Laura Dessert’, featuring cream to white blooms with a strong fragrance.
- Single: Characterized by a single row of petals, like ‘Sparkling Star’, which boasts deep pink flowers.
- Japanese: Known for their decorative centers, such as ‘Carrara’, with white petals and soft yellow centers.
- Semi-double: Featuring five or more guard petals, exemplified by ‘Pink Hawaiian Coral’, a pink to coral rose form.
- Double: These have large, full petals and often require support, like ‘Candy Stripe’, which presents white flowers with red streaks.
- Bomb: Large blooms resembling scoops of petals, such as ‘Angel Cheeks’, a soft pink variety.
Additionally, consider the Itoh peony, a hybrid between herbaceous and tree peonies, offering large blooms that last longer into the season.
Planting Peonies
Peonies are best planted in the fall, ideally in late September or October, allowing them to establish before winter. If you must relocate a mature plant, do so in the fall when the plant is dormant. Fall planting gives peonies a head start over spring-planted varieties, which generally lag by about a year.
How to Plant Peonies
- Location: Choose a sunny spot with well-drained soil. Peonies prefer full sun but can tolerate partial shade, especially in hotter climates. Ensure they are not planted too close to trees or shrubs.
- Soil Preparation: Use deep, fertile, humus-rich soil. Enrich heavy or sandy soil with compost and incorporate one cup of bonemeal.
- Planting: Space peonies 3 to 4 feet apart for adequate air circulation. Dig a hole about 2 feet deep and wide. Place the root with eyes facing up on a mound of soil, just 2 inches below the surface. Cover the roots gently, and water thoroughly.
- Container-Grown Peonies: Plant at the same depth they grew in the pot and water well.
Growing and Maintaining Peonies
Peonies are low-maintenance once established. They thrive on minimal attention and do not need frequent dividing. Here are a few tips:
- Fertilizing: Generally, peonies don’t require much fertilizer. If necessary, apply a balanced, slow-release fertilizer in early summer after blooming, and avoid over-fertilizing.
- Support: Large blooms may require support to prevent them from toppling. Use peony rings or wire cages for assistance.
- Deadheading: Remove faded blossoms promptly to maintain plant health and appearance.
Fall Care for Peonies
In fall, side-dress peonies with a balanced, slow-release fertilizer. After frost, cut back the foliage to the ground to prevent diseases. Avoid excessive mulching, but if you live in a colder zone, apply a loose layer of mulch for the first winter.
Harvesting and Using Peonies
Peonies make excellent cut flowers, lasting over a week in a vase. For the best results, cut stems in the morning when buds are still tight. Store the cut stems wrapped in a damp paper towel in the refrigerator until ready for use. Before arranging, recut the stems and place them in lukewarm water.
Additional Insights
- Peonies were cultivated in China for over 2,000 years before being introduced to Europe and America around 1800.
- Native North American peony species include Brown’s peony and California peony.
- Symbolically, peonies represent a happy life and marriage.
- Marco Polo famously described peony blooms as “roses as big as cabbages.”
Pests and Diseases
Though generally hardy, peonies can be susceptible to:
- Verticillium wilt
- Ringspot virus
- Tip blight
- Stem rot
- Botrytis blight
- Leaf blotch
- Japanese beetles
- Nematodes
- Aphids
Ants on peonies are often a positive sign; they help protect the buds from other pests by feeding on the nectar.
With proper care, peonies will reward you with their breathtaking blooms for many years to come. Enjoy the beauty and elegance these flowers bring to your garden!
