How to Grow and Care for Bush Peonies
How to grow and care for bush peonies is the name of the game today here in RGG land, and it’s probably the easiest thing to do in the history of Earth. Seriously. Stick around and see what I mean.
Table of Contents
How to Grow and Care for Bush Peonies: Introduction
Just like the sign says, we’re talking today about how to grow and care for bush peonies, also known as common garden peonies, Chinese peonies, Chinese herbaceous peonies, or just plain old herbaceous peonies. These incredibly popular, incredibly beautiful ornamental plants also happen to be incredibly simple to grow and care for. It’s surprising that a plant that’s so beautiful in so many ways (gorgeous season-long foliage, famously massive, beautiful blooms, and, in some cases, flowers that also are insanely equipped with the most intoxicating scent) can be so easy to manage. But that’s exactly the case. So why am I here darkening your door if any idiot can grow these things? Because, as easy as it is to grow and care for bush peonies, there are still some things that you should know in order to give your own peonies their best lives possible. These are living organisms, after all, and not artificial plants. And, since I am an actual idiot, and I’m actually growing some of these things, I’m just the idiot to tell you what those things are…
In this article, you’re going to get the following info: First, since not all peonies are created equal (there are actually four different kinds with which the ornamental gardening world is familiar), and you’ll want to make sure that you’re growing an actual bush peony, and not something else, I’ll give you a rundown of the four peony types. Just so you know what’s what. Next, you’ll get my usual, handy-dandy “The Basics” spiel, which will give you the elemental facts about bush peonies and their care. You’ll get my notes from the field, complete with all the relevant recommendations for how to grow and care for bush peonies, starting from the day you bring one home from the nursery, or have it delivered. You’ll get a couple of excellent product recs, and you’ll get the article’s Bibliography/”For Further Reading” list. Want to grow and care for bush peonies? This one’ll dial you in. It’s a basic plan with some basic info, but it’ll help you maximize your peonies’ happiness, and your own, too. Here you go…
How to Grow and Care for Bush Peonies: Which Peony Is Which?
The Peony Family and Genus
Peonies, in one form or another, have been in cultivation for millenia. From China and Asia, west into Europe and North America, various forms of peony have enjoyed prized status with civilized folk over the centuries, and have found their place at center stage in gardens wherever they’ve come to be known and grown. This ancient and famous ornamental favorite belongs to the plant family Paeoniaceae, in which there is only one genus, Paeonia. Although there are somewhere between 25 and 40 recognized species within this genus,¹ there are four ornamental types (not necessarily species) commonly known to gardeners. Of those four, the star of today’s show is Paeonia lactiflora, aka the bush peony, the Chinese peony, the Chinese herbaceous peony (or simply the herbaceous peony), or the common garden peony. But I’m giving you a brief heads-up on all of them so you can keep your own peony story straight.
Bush peony, aka Chinese peony, Chinese herbaceous peony, herbaceous peony, or common garden peony (Paeonia lactiflora). Our peony of the hour, the bush peony, originally hails from China, where it has been grown as an ornamental garden plant since the 7th century AD.² It made its way to England in the mid 1700s (where it was known as the white peony), and is recognized as the parent of most modern varieties.² As some of its common names indicate, it is an herbaceous perennial that dies back to the ground in late fall, and emerges in spring to grow and flower profusely. It’s hardy in zones 3 through 8, and requires a period of cold and cold-initiated dormancy to initiate flowering.²⁻⁴ Knowing how to grow and care for bush peonies properly, and getting the best possible bloom power out of them, means that you’ve got to observe and satisfy these necessities. Bush peonies typically grow between 24 and 36 inches in height and width, and in the case of many varieties, require staking to prevent their stems from bending and breaking under the weight of their massive blooms.²⁻⁵ The American Peony Society designates six separate flower forms for bush peonies: single, Japanese, anemone, bomb, semi-double, and full double.⁵
Tree peony (Paeonia, section Moutan, with corresponding subsections and species). Tree peonies have been in cultivation in China for thousands of years.⁶ This ancient plant is, as its common name suggests, an essentially deciduous, woody-stemmed plant that does not die back to the ground in late fall, but rather maintains its woody aerial stems, and many of its branches throughout the coldest months of the year. Like all peonies, they bloom mightily. They’re hardy in zones 4-9, and can grow to over 7 feet in height.⁶⁻¹¹ These robust plants require no staking, and are typically made available in both own root and grafted form.⁷ The blooms can be of a number of forms, including single, double, and semi-double.¹¹ Like bush peonies and Itoh peonies (see below), they do require a period of winter cold in order to bloom in the spring. ⁶⁻¹¹ Tree peonies are the longest-lived peony plants on Earth, with some individuals in China boasting recorded ages of over 400 years.¹⁰
Itoh peony, or intersectional peony (Paeonia hybrid). Itoh, or intersectional peonies are hybrid peonies created by crossing bush peonies with tree peonies. This hybridization essentially combines the best qualities of both species and results in some awesome capabilities.¹²⁻¹⁶ They remain compact and produce enormous blooms as bush peonies do, but their stems, which do generate some woody growth, are robust and strong enough to support massive blooms without the need for staking. Like bush peonies, Itoh peonies, despite the partially woody component of their stems, are herbaceous, dying back to the ground in late fall. Itoh peonies can grow up to 3 feet high, and 4 feet in width, and are hardy in zones 3-8 (and possibly even 9).¹⁵ The Itoh peony is named for Japanese botanist Dr. Toichi Itoh, who, in 1948, after working for years, and after thousands and thousands of attempts, was the first to successfully cross a bush peony with a tree peony.¹³⁻¹⁶ Itoh peonies have become increasingly popular with U.S. gardeners over the last several years. Itoh peonies generate massive blooms which can be single, semi-double, or double in form.¹⁷ Like bush peonies and tree peonies, they require a winter cold period for blooming the following spring.¹²⁻¹⁶
Common peony, or garden peony (Paeonia officinalis). The common peony, or garden peony (not to be confused with the common garden peony, or bush peony), is native to southern Europe¹⁸ and is hardy in zones 8-10.¹⁹ Like Paeonia lactiflora and Itoh peonies, it is herbaceous, dying to the ground in late fall. This plant grows only to a maximum height and width of 24 inches or less. Its flowers occur naturally in single form, but new varieties featuring double flowers have been developed.¹⁹
How to Grow and Care for Bush Peonies: The Nuts and Bolts
The Basics
Bush peony, aka Chinese peony, Chinese herbaceous peony, herbaceous peony, and common garden peony (Paeonia lactiflora)
Plant family – Paeoniaceae (Paeonia is the only genus in this plant family). Height – 24″-36″. Spread – 24″-36″. Light – full sun to partial sun. Bloom color – shades and/or combinations of white, pink, magenta, purple, red, yellow, orange, or even light green. Bloom size – Up to nearly 10″ in diameter. Bloom time – generally mid-May through early June across all of their hardiness zones (bloom times can be further specified as “very early season,” “early season,” “early mid-season,” “mid-season,” “late mid-season,” “late season,” and “very late season”). Foliage – perennial, herbaceous, with large, heavily divided, glossy leaves. Root system – large, thick, fleshy storage roots that can form a massive and heavy root ball as the plant matures. Soil – neutral to slightly acidic (a pH of 6.5-7 should do the trick). Hardiness – zones 3-8. Growth rate – Slow. Bush peonies usually need to be at least three years old before they’ll bloom. Pollinators – mainly bees, but butterflies and moths occasionally visit mine. Ants are always present on peony buds, and even on the opened blooms (although less so). More on that shortly. Toxicity – mildly toxic to pets.³ Pest resistance – excellent insect, deer, and rodent resistance, but can occasionally be susceptible to fungal diseases like powdery mildew and Botrytis blight (although mine have been perfectly healthy since the day each of them was planted).²⁴⁻²⁵ Longevity – bush peonies can live over 100 years.³’ ²² .
Notes from the Field
To grow and care for bush peonies properly, you don’t need to be a genius, and you don’t need to be a go-getter. Just look at what’s going on in my own garden. My peonies are healthy as hell, and I am literally the opposite of those two things. Bush peonies are practically zero-maintenance, and they create one of the most amazing floral displays that my hardiness zone 5B/6A garden has to offer. From just past the middle of May, through early June, my Felix Crousse (Paeonia lactiflora ‘Felix Crousse’) and Sarah Bernhardt (Paeonia lactiflora ‘Sarah Bernhardt’) peonies produce bloom after massive, breathtakingly beautiful full double bloom. And all summer long, their foliage stays glossy and green, and the plants themselves remain robust and substantial. And I personally need to do almost nothing to keep the bush peony train on its tracks. Feel free to visit The RGG “Spring” and “High Spring and Summer” image galleries for additional pics of these bushes in action.
It’s (almost) all about the blooms. My peonies emerge from their winter slumber within the very last days of March and the very earliest days of April. The Felix Crousse bushes are approximately 5 or 6 days ahead of the Sarah Bernhardts in terms of blooming, so their buds, which are very well set by the first few days in May, are earlier, too. The Felix Crousse bushes begin blooming in earnest generally around May 19th or 20th, and the Sarah Bernhardts usually start around May 25th or 26th. The flowers of all bush peonies are hermaphroditic (possessing both male and female reproductive organs), and yield the colors and scents that drive pollinators – particularly bees – wild. I can’t stress enough the point about the size, form and beauty of the blooms of both bush peony varieties in my garden. The full double blooms are enormous (up to 8″ across), have a beautiful, if slightly subdued fragrance, and are so densely-petaled, massive, and heavy that, when fully opened, cause their stems to bend downward, and sometimes break. Both varieties flower for about 10 days each, and because their bloom times overlap but are slightly staggered (by 5 or 6 days), I’ll have massive peony flowers present in my garden for over two weeks. The Felix Crousse peony was introduced in 1881, and the Sarah Bernhardt in 1906, and the legendary blooms of both of these venerable varieties have helped set the standard for full double-bloomed peony flowers worldwide.
With respect to my own endeavors to grow and care for bush peonies, I’ve observed, and mentioned just now, that it’s almost all about the blooms. I’ll explain my use of that qualifier below.
Incredibly robust and beautiful foliage. For herbaceous perennial plants, bush peonies come equipped with some seriously robust and beautiful foliage – the blooms are insane, but those leaves and stems rock, too. The leaf color for my two varieties starts out as burgundy (with matching stems) as the plants first emerge from hibernation. As the spring and summer progresses, the foliage becomes a rich, deep, glossy, emerald green. As the days shorten and turn cooler in the fall, and before they turn into disgusting brown carcasses that I cut down to the ground, the aerial structures (leaves and stems) of my peonies actually remain attractive as their recidivistic arc takes them from green, to golden, to ultimately cut off at the knees.
Stake ’em, break ’em, or put ’em in a vase. Your own “Grow and Care for Bush Peonies” plan will invariably present you with some options regarding the handling of your bushes’ human head-sized blooms. As robust and beautiful as your bush peonies’ herbaceous aerial structures may be, they’re no match for the sheer mass and weight of those legendary flowers. In my garden, with my bushes, there’s always the inevitable fracture or three (or five). So, you can do one of three things, or a combination of three things. 1) You can do nothing, then watch your peonies’ blooms obey the laws of gravity and vanquish the erstwhile rigidity of your peonies’ stems, then bow them and probably even break them, finally ending up with filthy faces as they prostrate themselves upon the dirt. 2) You can buy reliable and reasonably unobtrusive staking products (e.g., gathering rings) to keep your peonies’ stems erect and intact, and their huge blooms flying high. I currently do not do this, but may ultimately yield to the allure of flowers that remain at a level where people can actually see them, and start doing this. Hey, I told you I was an idiot. 3) You can can snip yourself some of those gigantic blooms before they nosedive, and put them in a vase, being sure to catch a whiff of their fragrance when you do it. If you go this route, enjoy the flowers while you can. They don’t last terribly long once they’re separated from the plant.
Incredibly cold-hardy. To grow and care for bush peonies properly, you first need to know you’re zone, and respect the peony plant’s ability or inability to thrive therein. Bush peonies are hardy in zones 3-8. These are basically cooler weather plants that don’t take kindly to scorching temperatures. Temperatures in my 5B/6A garden can range from triple digits (rarely) all the way down to less than -10° Fahrenheit (not as rarely), so bush peonies are good to go and grow here. Still, when temperatures get extremely high, and the sun gets extremely hot, my peonies might temporarily wilt. At these times, I’ll give my peonies a drink to help them through the heat stress. I would never try growing bush peonies in hardiness zones higher than zone 8. The heat will take its toll on them, and, as I wrote earlier, bush peonies need an extended period of cold weather in order to enter dormancy, and bloom and grow properly during the following spring. One thing to keep in mind when late fall rolls around and you’ve pruned your bush peonies to the ground: Do not over-mulch your peonies. Over-insulating them from the cold will not help them in any way, and may even prevent the temperature of their soil to get cold enough for them. They need that winter period of cold! Plus, as you’ll read shortly, a thick layer of mulch adds to their planting depth, which could also prove problematic for blooming.
Suggestions for Planting and the Ongoing Care of Bush Peonies
Plant them as soon as you get them. To grow and care for bush peonies the right way, you’re going to need to first plant them the right way. You’ll get your bush peonies in one of two forms, and at one of two times of the year. If you order your bush peonies online, you’ll probably get them sent to you in bare root form. And you’ll get them either in the spring or fall, depending on when you place your order. I prefer planting peonies, bare root or otherwise, in the fall. This way, the roots get a developmental head start before the ground freezes, and they’re subjected to that requisite period of cold over the late fall, winter, and early spring. But whenever you get them, soak them for 30 to 45 minutes in cool water first, then plant them right away. If you buy your peonies from a nursery, you’ll probably get either 1-year-old, 2-year-old, or 3-year old potted plants, and, as in the case with bare root forms, you’ll get them in either the spring or fall. My Sarah Bernhardts were one-year-old potted plants which I bedded in the fall of 2020. Despite the fact that they were immature, they flowered (albeit sparingly) in the spring of 2021. I attribute this precocious blooming to the fact that I planted them in the fall. My Felix Crousses were potted 3-year-olds planted in the spring, also several years back. Given the choice, and in light of the benefits associated with doing so, I’d always opt for fall planting of both bare root and potted bush peonies. In fact in my 2021 RGG article “10 Great Perennials for Fall Planting,” peonies were on the list.
Plant bare root bush peonies with the uppermost eyes about 1-1/2 inches below the surface in zone 5B/6A. The “eyes” of a bare root peony are the pink buds, or nodes, protruding from the root clump. These are the future stems of the bush peony plant. Don’t plant them with the uppermost eyes any deeper than 1-1/2 inches below grade if you garden in zone 5B/6A. A good rule of thumb regarding planting depth is: Eyes no deeper than 1″ in the south, and no deeper than 2″ in the north.³⁻⁴ Plant them any deeper and your peonies won’t flower well for you.
Transplanting bush peonies? Better not. Because of the massive, complex root ball of a mature bush peony, successfully digging one up in its entirety with an eye (your own eye, not the plant’s) on transplanting it is unadvisable and next to impossible. I’ve tried it. It don’t work. It’s better to divide the plant by taking a section out of the big, main root ball and transplanting what you’ve excised. Here’s why. The peony’s massive, complex root ball has got these really deep storage roots as part of its composition. If you try to dig the whole plant up to transplant it, you’ll definitely cut and shorten its storage roots. These structures house all of the energy and nutrition that peonies need to bloom properly (lots and lots of energy is required of the plant to create its amazing blooms, and the storage roots are where that energy comes from). Rather than trying to transplant the whole bush, cut a section out of the root ball and transplant only that. It’s like planting a whole new juvenile peony plant.²³ I’ve tried this, too, and it does work. Semper fi, baby.
Light and temperature conditions. Peonies grow best in full to partial sun. Remember, peonies are pretty much cool weather plants, so if you’re growing them within the upper limits of their hardiness zones, i.e. zones 7 or 8, it’s best to plant them in partial sun. Mine grow in full sun conditions here in 5B/6A, but, as mentioned, they’ll still sag in the bright sun on an unusually hot day every once in a great while.
Soil. Bush peonies are not extremely choosy about soil type, as long as it’s neutral to slightly acidic in terms of pH, and as long as it’s well-drained. You’ll kill your incredibly long-lived, ultra-hardy peonies if you force them to deal with soggy muck as their soil.
Fertilizing. For the most part, it’s a big “Nope” for me and my peonies. Not everything in a grow and care for peony plan, however, is cut and dried. Because peonies are so good at storing the energy that they pull from sunlight in their massive, fleshy, tuberous storage roots, they really don’t need much, if anything, in the way of fertilization. In fact, in the five seasons that my four bush peonies have been growing in my garden, I’ve never fertilized them… with one exception. Blooming requires a huge amount of energy, and peonies could actually end up somewhat “taxed” after they’ve finished blooming for the year. Generally, this isn’t a problem – they’re so good at storing up energy between the time they’ve quit blooming until the time they enter dormancy that they’re bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, and totally good to go by the following spring. But, if you notice, as I did once (and only once), that your bush hasn’t flowered as massively as usual, it’s not a bad idea to hit it with a little shot of an excellent organic granular fertilizer immediately after the flowering period has ended. I’ve done it once, with an application amount slightly less than the manufacturer’s normal recommended amount, and it worked wonders the following year. That is literally the only time I’ve ever fertilized my bush peonies.
Water. Bush peonies don’t need a hell of a lot of water. In fact, too much water can waterlog them and harm or even kill them. When I do general watering in my garden, I only lightly water my bush peonies. I never soak them. As I wrote earlier, however, if I see that they’re sagging in exceptionally hot sunlight, I’ll give them a slightly longer drink.
Pruning and/or deadheading. Cut spent blooms off (or good-looking ones if you’re putting them in a vase) but leave as much of the stem and foliage in place as possible. If there are multiple flowers on a stem, I’ll cut them where they branch – no shorter. If there’s a single flower on a stem, I’ll cut it as close to the flower as possible, leaving as much stem and foliage intact as I can. Peony plants use their green foliage to manufacture energy from the sun, and they need as much energy as they can get. Consequently, they need as many healthy green leaves and stems as you can leave them. In fact, in certain cases where my own peonies have snapped a particular stem under the weight of their blooms, I’ll make a “splint” out of a popsicle stick and tape, and salvage that stem. I’ll do this only if the stem is snapped far enough down its length where sacrificing it would result in the loss of a lot of healthy, green, energy-collecting leaves.
In late fall, when the stems and foliage have yellowed and/or browned to the point of obvious lifelessness, cut them down level with the ground.
Companion planting for bush peonies. There are a lot of plants that make great planting bed mates for bush peonies. Other bush peonies are an obvious excellent choice. I’ve got a few sedum varieties growing in proximity to my peonies, which works well because neither plant needs tons of water. The same goes for one of my Rose of Sharon bushes, which grows adjacent to my two Sarah Bernhardts. The Rose of Sharon is well-established, and doesn’t require huge waterings. This works out well for the peonies, who, as discussed, oppose saturation.
Peonies and Ants: A Garden Partnership
I can’t tell you how many readers have written in and asked how they can get rid of the ants they find crawling all over their peony buds. My answer is always “Don’t!!!” The relationship between ants and peonies is characterized by a natural dynamic known as biological mutualism.²⁰ In this case, the ants are attracted to the sticky, sweet nectar that coats the peony flower buds (and sometimes persists on the petals of the open flowers, as well). While the ants are there, they cause no harm to the plant whatsoever, and in fact protect the plant by preying on the host of tiny insects that constantly besiege the plant and would otherwise damage it, along with its buds and blooms. When you find ants crawling all over your peonies’ buds, rejoice, for this is a miraculous thing – a wonderful and natural and healthful thing! Knowing how to grow and care for bush peonies usually means knowing how to let your garden’s ecosystem do as nature intended.
Product Recommendations to Help You Grow and Care for Bush Peonies
What RGG article would be complete without a couple of excellent product recommendations? Hey, to grow and care for bush peonies the right way, you’ve gotta have the right goods. Here you go…
Espoma Organic Plant-tone. I am a huge fan of Espoma’s line of organic fertilizers. Plant-tone is the one I use for the majority of the plants in my garden. It’s got an N-P-K ratio of 5-3-3 and is a great all-purpose organic fertilizer. It works perfectly for an incredibly wide variety of ornamental plants. Again, Espoma Organic Plant-tone is the food that a huge number of my plants get. They love it, and it shows. In the case of my bush peonies, a one-time application helped one of my more diffident individuals roar back the following spring with an insanely huge wave of blooms. You can order this product here, directly from Amazon, by clicking the #advertisement link.
Fiskars 6” Micro-tip Pruning Snips. This pruner is the absolutely perfect tool for cutting delicate stems and removing nodes from main stems when training or shaping a specific plant. Its razor-sharp micro-tip steel blades are ideally suited for pruning smaller and soft-stemmed plants. I have an older version of the same model and it’s remained just as razor-sharp, precise, and effective as it was on the day I took it out of its package. I’ll never get rid of it. I use mine for pruning and deadheading houseplants, succulents, and for all outdoor garden pruning that requires intricate, delicate, and precise cutting. Click the #advertisement link to learn more, or to order it here, directly from Amazon.
Bibliography/For Further Reading
Below is yet another less than sterling yet essentially effective RGG bibliography. It’s the list of cited works that assisted me in writing this article. Each one is listed in link form, so you can click on any of one them to read more about that particular topic.
- “Peony.” Wikipedia, pp. 1-9.
- “Paeonia lactiflora.” Wikipedia, pp. 1-5.
- Nadia Hassani. “How to grow and Care for Chinese peony (Common Garden Peony).” The Spruce, rev. 09/12/22, pp. 1-16.
- “Planting and Growing Paeonia (Herbaceous Peony). ” Garden Help, White Flower Farm pp. 1-3.
- “Peony Flower Types & Anatomy.” The American Peony Society, pp. 1-3.
- “Tree peony.” Wikipedia, pp. 1-2.
- “Tree Peony Design, Planting, and Care.” Peony’s Envy, pp. 1-49.
- David Beaulieu.”How to Grow and Care for Tree Peony.” The Spruce, rev. 02/05/23, pp. 1-16.
- “Woody Peony.” The American Peony Society, pp. 1-2.
- “The 400 year old tree peonies of Taiyuan.” Cricket Hill Garden, pp. 1-7.
- “Peony Flower Forms.” Cricket Hill Garden, pp. 1-26.
- Jennifer Lesser. “How to Grow and Care for Itoh Peony.” The Spruce, rev. 09/12/22, pp. 1-16.
- Judith Irven. “All About Itoh Peonies.” American Meadows, pp. 1-10.
- Richard Bloom. “Intersectional peonies: plants that can last for 100 years.” Gardens Illustrated, May 1, 2022, pp. 1-32.
- “Intersectional Peony Design, Planting, and Care.” Peony’s Envy, pp. 1-39.
- Paul Snyder. “Itoh Hybrid Peonies.” The Ohio State University, Buckeye Yard & Garden onLine, June 16, 2020, pp. 1-6.
- “Itoh Peonies.” The American Peony Society, pp. 1-2.
- “Paeonia officinalis.” Wikipedia, pp. 1-3.
- “Paeonia officinalis.” Missouri Botanical Garden, Gardening Help, pp. 1-2.
- “Ants on Peony Flowers: An Example of Biological Mutualism.” University of Missouri, Integrated Pest Management, May 29, 2018, pp. 1-2.
- “8 Weeks of Bloom.” Peony’s Envy, pp. 1-9.
- Linda Geist. “Peonies thrive on neglect, can live more than 100 years.” University of Missouri, MU Extension, May 26, 2021, pp. 1-5.
- “Dividing and Replanting a Peony.” Hollingsworth Peonies, pp. 1-3.
- “Peony Common Problems, Pests, and Diseases.” Gardenia, pp. 1-12.
- “Botrytis Blight.” Missouri Botanical Garden, pp. 1-7.
How to Grow and Care for Bush Peonies? It’s in the Bag!
Now you know how I grow and care for bush peonies in my own garden. The plan is simple, as long as you’re well-armed with the right information, which I hope I’ve adequately provided. Now, you know a little about the peony family and its history. You know about the four main kinds of peony that gardeners like to grow, including bush peonies themselves – and you know the difference between bush peonies and the the other three kinds. Most importantly, you’ve now got a handle on what bush peonies do and what they don’t do, and what they like and what they don’t like. You know about the stuff I use to help my own bush peony care regimen along. And, now you know what to do. Admittedly, it’s not a whole hell of a lot. In any case, you’ve got the good old RGG plan in your back pocket now. So, yep, you’ve got everything you need in order to grow and care for bush peonies the right way in your own garden.
My dear readers and subscribers, thanks for sticking this one out. As always, I’m grateful for your kind interest and your readership.
Cheers, and Happy Gardening!
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I love peonies – they’re such beautiful flowers 🌸
Excellent and helpful article, everything so well explained… Gorgeous images!!! Your peonies are pure delight… so beautiful 😍🌸❤️
Thank you so much for reading the article and commenting here, Roxxy – I really appreciate that. I’m so glad you liked the article and my own peonies, too. A peony’s flower is remarkably beautiful – there’s simply not another bloom like it. I think the fact that these beauties have such a long, long, long cultivation history makes them even more alluring and intriguing. Thanks once again, Roxxy!
I have determined from your article that I have bush peonies. They do range from 24-36″ in height and width. They line one side of the driveway. Sadly that side of the driveway does not have irrigation so it is a struggle to get water to them. Unless you count the next door neighbors sprinklers that boldly spray in two sections of my area. Just enough water to cause meadow aster to go crazy and the peony blossoms to get ruined where the water hits them from above. I gave up on asking the owner to adjust their sprinklers. I have been slowly, emphasis on slow, digging them up and moving them to the way back garden. This year is the second since transplanting and one of them bloomed with one blossom. It was a gorgeous creamy white. A double.
My intention is to get them all moved to the back except for one small section that is safe from intruding sprinkler spray. Even when not in bloom the plants are rather striking in their conformation and persistent green foliage throughout Summer.
As for companions, in the new area I am transplanting to I have Iris, Allium, and white daisies. Some daffs, but they come and go before the the others start to bloom.
They do benefit from some shade of the Willow tree so, I feel this is going to be a better location than a hot driveway spot.
Onward and Upward!
Lane
Wow, Lane, you’ve got a substantial population, by the sound of it. My folks used to grow them as borders in long rows as you’ve been doing. It’s a beautiful effect. I’m glad you were able to coax a bloom out of your transplanted peony. It sounds like it’s recovering and redeveloping its storage roots after the move. Your companion planting arrangement sound’s like an excellent one. I do also have monarda, hostas, and privet hedge near mine. I’m just careful not to drench my peonies while keeping the bee balm irrigated. I’m excited to hear how your peonies rebound after transplanting. I hope they come roaring back with a wave of massive blooms! And I completely agree with your assessment of the foliage – they really are substantial, beautiful bushes.Thank you for reading the article, Lane, and for leaving these excellent comments. I’m serious about keeping tabs on your bush peony transplants. I’d really love to know how they perform. Thanks once again, Lane.
As always, a great article filled with a lot of great information. The pictures of your peonies are stunning! Now if you could invent a way for your readers to smell them, you would have our eternal appreciation!
Thank you for reading the article, and for your kind words, Kevin. I really appreciate it. It would be amazing if someone could invent a way for fragrance to accompany a digital photo. I’m sure some tech genius, toiling away in his bedroom in the basement of his folks’ house, is working on an algorithm for digital peony scent. Wow, that would be cool! Thanks again, Kevin!
The Peony is one of my favorite flowers. Your insight is extremely helpful.
You have excellent taste, Rick. There’s really nothing quite like a peony flower – they’re extraordinary. I’m glad you enjoyed the read and found it helpful. Thank you so much, Rick.
Super, informative piece. Just love all types of peonies. My peony tree is 6ft high by 3 ft wide!
Thank you for reading it, Sam. I’m so glad you enjoyed it. I am amazed at the size of your enormous tree peony – fabulous! Thanks once again, Sam!