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Tag: Peony

Can I Grow Peonies Down South?

‘Coral Charm’ is a peony that grows better down South, and it is one of my favorites!

“I live in south Georgia and I would love to plant peonies, but I was told by a local nursery that they can’t survive here because we don’t have cold enough winters for them to reset, is this true?” Question from Ladonna of Naylor, Georgia

Answer: It is partially true. The most popular peonies in the US are common garden peonies (Paeonia lactiflora). The large, bushy plants produce loads of big, late-spring flowers and are hardy to USDA Hardiness Zones 3-7 (sometimes 3-8b), so you are on the edge of their hardiness. They do need winter cold for several months to produce blooms and survive in the long term, but Naylor, Georgia (USDA Hardiness Zones 8b) is cold enough to sustain some peonies. If you want to be on the safe side, there are other peonies that can survive with even less winter cold. This includes some tree peonies (Paeonia species and hybrids, varying zones, sometimes down to zone 9), and Intersectional (ITOH Hybrids (Zones 4-9), which are hybrids between common and tree peonies.

Peonies for Southern Gardeners

Here are seven good herbaceous peony varieties for southern gardens.

  1. ‘America’ (Zones 4-8b)- a single, red herbaceous peony that is award-winning and has HUGE blooms
  2. ‘Coral Charm‘ (Zones 3-8b) – a semi-double coral-pink award-winner (one of my favorites!)
  3. ‘Felix Crousse‘ (Zones 3-8b) – an herbaceous heirloom (1881) with fragrant double-red blooms
  4. ‘Festiva Maxima’ – an herbaceous heirloom (1881) with fragrant double-red blooms
  5. ‘Red Charm’ – an herbaceous peony with fragrant, deepest red, double blooms
  6. ‘Scarlet O’Hara’ (Zones 4-9) – Another exceptional single-red peony
  7. ‘Shirley Temple’ (Zones 3-8b) – a beautiful double peony of palest cream-pink

Click here to read more about caring for peonies, and click here for a full list of peony nurseries approved by The American Peony Society! 

Happy gardening,

Jessie Keith

Black Gold Horticulturist

How Do I Keep Peonies From Drooping?

“My peonies are more luxurious than ever this year. However, after the 1st rain, they tend to fall over. I have each bush encased in an upside-down tomato cage, but they still tend to droop, as the flowers are so heavy.  Any suggestions to make this stop from happening every year and any ideas on how to make the glorious blossoms last longer?  Many thanks!!” Question from Diane of Newark, Ohio

Answer: Sadly, this is a common problem with old-fashioned, double-flowered peonies. Their weighty blooms cause the weak stems to bend, so they droop. After a rain, the flowers hold water like petaled bowls, which causes them to drop to the ground. Tomato cages can certainly work, but some garden supply companies make even stronger perennial cages that do the job better. For example, Titan Peony Supports get high ratings from gardeners. Another option is to bolster each flower stem with its own stake before blooming begins. This method takes more time but results in a prettier-looking peony.

Finally, if your peony is planted in partial sun, it may be worth the effort to dig its massive root ball in fall and move it to a sunnier spot. More sun also encourages stem strength. Just be sure not to plant peonies too deeply (more than 3-inches below the surface) as this can inhibit flowering.

As far as making the blossoms last longer, there is no method known other than picking the blossoms for indoor arrangements and giving the cut flowers fresh water and cut-flower food until they fade.

I hope that these tips help!

Happy gardening,

Jessie Keith

Black Gold Horticulturist

When and How Should I Move My Peonies?

“When is the best time to move Peony plants?” Question from Carin of Fall Creek, Wisconsin

Answer: Because peonies are extraordinarily hardy, I prefer moving them in the fall, but you can also moving them after they bloom in the spring. But, there are six things that you should know before moving peonies.

Six Things to Know Before Moving Peonies

  1. Peonies have very large taproots, so you need to dig deep to capture them all.
  2. I recommend digging around the clump to maintain as much soil around the roots as possible. The less you disturb the clump, the better.
  3. Peony buds like to rest just an inch or two below the soil surface. If you cover them with too much soil, they may not bloom.
  4. Peonies should be fed with an all-purpose 10-10-10 granular fertilizer once a year. Surprisingly, overfertilizing peonies can reduce flowering.
  5. Use a long, sharp shade to dig them up and divide the clump, if needed.
  6. Small peony divisions may not have enough energy to bloom for a few years.

Peony Moving Steps

  1. Dig around the clump.
  2. Wrap the rootball with burlap to keep it intact.
  3. Place the peony in a wheelbarrow or Tubtrug to transport it to its new location.
  4. Dig a hole a bit larger than the rootball, place the backfill on a tarp or in a wheelbarrow, and mix the backfill with Black Gold Garden Compost Blend.
  5. Sprinkle some bulb fertilizer into the hole and backfill.
  6. Place the peony in the hole, and make sure the top of the plant is flush with the soil surface.
  7. Fill in the sides with backfill, and make sure that there are no air holes.
  8. Water in your peony until the soil is saturated.

I hope that these tips help!

Happy gardening,

Jessie Keith

Black Gold Horticulturist

How Do You Harvest and Grow Peony Seeds?

“How do you harvest and grow peony seeds?” Question from Mark of Barrie, Ontario, Canada

Answer: If your peonies successfully cross-pollinated and produced viable seeds that can be induced to sprout, then the plants will develop seed pods that should contain fully mature seeds in late summer or early fall. The round, tough seeds should be harvested as soon as the pods open and begin to turn brown. The seeds will be dark brown to black.

Getting Peony Seeds to Sprout

It takes time and patience to get peony seeds to sprout. Some seeds will produce seedlings in a year and others can take up to three years. Fresh seed will yield the best results. The seeds require a process called stratification, which involves a chilling period of a few months before one can try to induce the seeds to grow. In the case of peony seeds, they need a warm period, chilling period, and warm period. Stratification can be done indoors or outdoors.

Outdoor Stratification

The outdoor method is a little less precise and may take longer, but it often yields the best results. As soon as you harvest your seeds, soak them for three to four days in water. Change the water each day. Unhealthy seeds will float, sink, and become soft. Healthy seeds will swell, and remain round and firm.

Collect the healthy seeds, plant them 1.5 inches down, and 3 inches apart in a flat of Black Gold Natural & Organic Potting Mix. It contains peat as well as composted bark–a combination favored by peony seedlings. Count the seeds and note their placement to keep track of their progress. Also, be sure to label the flat with the planting date, name, and any other essential information. Place the flat in a safe location in partial shade. Keep it moist through the warm days of fall, then cover the top of the flat with plastic wrap in late fall, and let it remain over the winter. Remove the plastic in early spring, and keep the flat moist through spring. The seeds should begin to sprout by mid to late spring. When they emerge, feed them lightly with a water-soluble, all-purpose fertilizer as soon as their second (true) leaves emerge.  Once they reach a few inches, you can transplant them to pots or a location in the garden with good soil. You will need to baby them as they grow. It may be wise to protect them with chicken wire or plastic collars. Placing diatomaceous earth around them should also keep snails and slugs away.

Some seeds may not sprout in the first year. If this is the case, keep the flat in place, maintain moisture through summer, and repeat the stratification process in fall and winter.

Indoor Stratification

Take your healthy peony seeds indoors, place a few in a 4-inch pot filled with Black Gold Seedling Mix. Moisten the pot, and place it under grow lights for a month and a half. Keep the pot moist and make sure the indoor temperature is between 70 and 80 degrees F. After a month, place the pot in an air-filled plastic bag in the refrigerator. The best temperature for stratification is 40 degrees F. Moisten the pot every couple of weeks while it is in the refrigerator–don’t let it get dry. After three months, remove and place it under grow lights. Keep the pots lightly moist, maintain a temperature between 70 and 80 degrees F, and the peony seeds should sprout in a month or two. A heat mat set to warm can help. (Please click here for more detailed information about how to start seeds indoors.)

The American and European Peony Societies are great information resources for additional information. (Click here to read the EU Peony Society’s highly detailed PowerPoint about peony seed starting.)

Happy gardening,

Jessie Keith

Black Gold Horticulturist

How Do You Keep Peonies from Flopping in the Spring?

“What is the best way to care for peonies in the spring?  How do you keep the foliage from falling over when it rains?” Question from Diane of Newark, Ohio

Answer: Double-flowered peony (Paeonia lactiflora) blooms are so heavy that even the smallest rain can weigh them down to the ground. Thankfully, this problem is easily fixed. General spring care is simple, too.

Start by completely cutting back the old, brown stalks from last year. Then weed around the crown of the plant, work in an all-purpose slow-release fertilizer, lightly mulch or add a 2-inch layer of Black Gold Garden Compost Blend, and then place a perennial cage around the crown. Caging peonies bolsters large, heavy flower heads when rains fall.

Seek out a cage that’s wide enough to accommodate the clump. Perennial cages are sometimes sold at garden centers or online (click here for one source). You can also make your own. I like to make my own cages for perennials, dahlias, and tomatoes using rolled, galvanized steel fencing (look for a product with open squares), wire cutters, and plastic zip ties (protective gloves are also needed). Just cut the fencing to size, and zip tie it into a circle. When cutting the fence, I also cut the base of the cage so that it has prongs to secure into the ground (click here to watch a video where I make a similar (but larger) cage for sweet potatoes).

I hope that this helps!

Happy peony growing,

Jessie Keith

Black Gold Horticulturist