Are you the proud owner of a peony plant or are you considering buying one for your garden? Fantastic! Peonies are beautiful perennial plants especially known for the lovely flowers they produce. Although, as growers of these plants, we might be a little biased. Here are all our care tips to give your plant the best start in your garden!
Location in the garden
With a few exceptions, most peonies love full sun and do best in an open part of the garden. Under a tree, the soil is often too dry and there is too little light.
Did you remove an old peony from your garden and want to replace it? It's better not to plant the new peony in the same spot. Planting a peony back in the same place is not advisable. Peonies are grown as a rotational crop at the nursery. This means that the land where peonies are currently grown will be used for a different crop next year. The previous peony may have left behind diseases or depleted the soil. If you have no other option, it is wise to dig the soil 30 - 90 cm deep and add bone meal or well-rotted manure.
Do not plant the 'eyes' of the peony deeper than 5cm in the ground. If the peony is planted too deep, it will not flower. In milder climates, 2 - 3 cm below the surface is recommended, so that the eyes get some cold. It is advisable to mix compost into the topsoil. Be careful with fresh manure as this can cause rot in the core.
Peonies have large, heavy flowers. It is advisable to support the plant using a support ring or stakes. Fertilize the plant twice a year to stimulate growth, in the autumn and early spring. In spring, also cut away any remaining leaves and stems.
Quality of the plant
It has become common to buy garden plants in garden centers when they are in full bloom. The advantage is that you immediately enjoy your purchase and you can clearly see what the plant will look like. For some perennial species, this is an excellent method, but the peony will do better when planted as a bare root in the autumn. A peony is unhappy in a pot, which reduces the quality of the plant. The rhizomes are cut smaller to fit into the pot.
The rhizome comes directly from the field where the peony grew in the open ground. By buying it and planting it in your garden, you choose the best quality plant. With a bare root, you cannot see what it looks like in bloom, but you can see if it is a healthy, strong plant. The roots of a peony should not look limp or dried out. They should be slightly pliable, but firm. Always soak bare roots in a bucket of water before planting them in the garden.
Best month to buy and plant
Buying plants in the summer is very useful so you can see where you still have space in your border or can make space, where you lack color and what color you are missing, and if you have enough sun. For this reason, we ensure that our autumn assortment is available for order in the summer, so you can arrange it immediately.
However, autumn is the best time to plant peonies. There are several reasons for this. The peony will establish better, and it will require less work from you in the autumn because nature will provide water. In September, we and other growers lift the peony plants from the ground and sort them. When you receive them in the autumn, you get the freshest possible plants that can be planted directly in the garden. At this time, the peony above ground is dormant, but the roots will already form root hairs in the ground, allowing the plant to establish itself in your garden. This promotes growth in the spring.
Soil type
Choose fertile and well-draining soil. A peony plant will rot if the soil remains too wet. Generally, garden soil from the garden center should be good enough. If necessary, mix sand or compost into the soil to make it more permeable.
A somewhat technical description, but interesting to know if the peony does not take root well: Neutral soil or alkaline soil. pH value not below 6. Too high a pH value causes yellow leaves, called Chlorosis. If the pH value is low, add calcareous fertilizer.
Winter months
You can feed the peony in winter to support growth, from late February to early March. Preferably choose an organic fertilizer, as this nourishes the plant slowly over a long period. Choose well-rotted cow manure or bone meal; the latter is a by-product of the meat processing industry. If you opt for an artificial fertilizer, use a ratio of 20:20:20 or 10:20:20. It is especially important not to have too high a nitrogen content, as this primarily stimulates leaf growth and not flower development.
First aid for non-flowering
There are several reasons why your peony may not be flowering. Firstly, a peony needs time to adjust to its new environment. Therefore, in the first year after planting, there is only a small chance that your peony will flower. Additionally, the soil influences how many flowers are produced. Sandy soil results in more leaves and fewer flowers. In clay soil, it is more difficult to grow the plant, but it ultimately produces more flowers.
Do you have any more questions about caring for your peony? Feel free to send us a message, we are happy to help!
