Give your peony a good start in your garden, and you'll be amazed at how easy it is to care for! In this blog, you can read more about caring for and maintaining your peony plant.
Purchasing tubers and best planting time
Buy your peony tubers online, directly from a nursery, such as Clay & Roots. You'll buy fresh field plants from local growers who are passionate about their work. Our root tubers are of the highest quality and all have at least 3 to 5 growth eyes. This way, you start with a strong plant that is ready to shine in your garden.
From July/August, our new season begins, and all peonies are available to order in the webshop for autumn delivery. In September, the plants are harvested from our fields, hand-checked, and sorted. Then, we send the plants directly to you in October/November. This is the best time of year to plant peonies.
After their winter rest, the remaining plants can be ordered again from January, and we deliver the peonies in early spring, from March to early May. Even then, the peony tubers can be planted in your garden immediately after receipt.
Proper planting = preventing problems
Correctly planting a peony prevents many problems in the future. Follow these steps carefully to ensure your plant gets a good start in your garden:
- Choose the right spot: choose a spacious spot in your garden, 0.8 m2, in full sun. Do not plant the peony in a spot where you have had a peony in recent years. Ensure fertile and well-draining soil. If necessary, mix sand or compost into the soil to improve drainage and enrich the soil.
- Always let a root tuber soak in a bucket of water before planting it. At least half an hour. A very dry tuber can even stay in the water overnight.
- Dig a hole for your plant and, if necessary, mix in some new garden soil. Plant the peony with the growth eyes facing upwards; these are the buds you see on the root tuber. Cover with a thin layer of soil, 2-3 cm. Do not plant the peony too deeply, otherwise, it will not bloom.
- Press down the soil and water generously.
The first year of your peony
A peony needs time to establish itself in your garden and grow into a sturdy, mature plant. This is evident in the number of flowers and the size of the plant. In the first year, you might only see a few flowers or perhaps none at all. This is perfectly normal. With proper care, the plant will produce more flowers each year. After about 4 years, the plant is mature and will produce an abundance of flowers.
Peony maintenance throughout the year
March - Remove old leaves from the plant. Depending on the variety, you may start to see the first growth eyes of the peony emerging from the ground this month.
May - In May, you'll clearly see the plant emerging. Place a plant support over the plant to help support the flowers.
June - Cut off spent flowers, but leave the stems on the plant. Do not pick the flowers for the first 2 years. After flowering, apply an organic fertilizer.
October - The plant slowly dies back above ground in the autumn. You can safely leave the foliage. Also, in autumn, apply an organic fertilizer to your border.
Dividing a peony
If you notice the peony's flowering declining after about 9 years, it's time to divide the plant in the autumn. Do this when the foliage has completely died back, in September/October. Dig up the plant and use a clean, sharp knife to cut the plant. Ensure you keep at least 4 growth eyes on the piece you want to replant.
Then, replant the peony in a different spot from where it was previously. If you still want to plant a peony in the same spot, it would be best to wait for an intervening period of 2 years. Another option is to excavate a section of ground and add fresh garden soil.
Do you have any questions? Feel free to send us a message; we're happy to help!
