Love Peonies? Now is the time to plant bare root peony plants for voluptuous, fragrant flowers. These easy care perennial plants come back year after year, emerging each spring. The stems fill out with gorgeous foliage and each stem produces a bud that will open into an amazing flower in mid - late spring.
Good Sun Pick a spot in the garden or yard that gets good sun and decent soil drainage and your peonies can literally last a lifetime. Full sun is great; a little shade is fine.
Soil - Peonies love clay type soils with good drainage. You can amend the soil if you choose; but, often, there is no need to do so.
Not too Deep - Plant peonies with the fleshy roots going down into spaded soil with the eyes (buds) at the top, just an inch or two below the ground surface. Take care to not plant peonies too deeply. In warmer climates, such as in parts of California, the peony eyes are barely covered with soil, closer to the surface.
Water - Give your transplanted peonies a drink of water and keep slightly moist until the fall rains come. Once established, peonies are rather drought tolerant.
Peonies do well in USDA zones 2-8 and many gardeners are having success with them in zones 9. They do best with a winter chill and thrive in warm summers.
Peony plants add texture, foliage and fragrance to your landscape and the flowers can’t be beat for cutting gardens. Plant peonies this fall to enjoy every spring.
You can order bare root peony plants online throughout the fall.