Why Are We Talking Peonies Now?

Most of you are probably familiar with that old garden standard, the peony. If you are, then you know that they flower in the late spring and early summer, so you may wonder why I’m bringing them up now. The reason is simple. Peonies like to be planted or divided in the fall. But, let’s start with a little background.

There are many species of peonies, but for the purpose of this post, I’m going to focus on the most well known, Paeonia lactiflora, also known as the Chinese peony. These are the ones that gardeners are most familiar with. They are herbaceous perennials, meaning that they die back to the ground in the winter. The most common colors are shades of pink, red and white, but some newer cultivars are available in yellows and greens.

Peonies are known for their extremely fragrant single, double or semi-double extra-large flowers. A couple of my old favorite varieties are ‘Festiva Maxima’, a white flower streaked with hot pink and ‘Sarah Bernhardt’ which is a luscious soft pink.

Peony plants are substantial enough to make good anchors in the perennial border, but they work equally well as specimens, in rows or along fences. Plant them near patios & entrances where their heady fragrance can be fully appreciated.

Their rounded foliage is attractive year-round and pairs nicely with spiky plants, such as iris, which are kind enough to bloom at the same time. One of my favorite combinations is a hot pink peony in front of a deep purple Siberian iris…lovely. They also work well with low growing catmints.

To say that they are trouble free is a bit of an understatement, but you must put a little effort in when you first put them in the ground. As I stated at the beginning, fall is the time to plant and divide peonies. Full sun locations are best, but they will tolerate some shade every day. Because peonies will happily grow in the same location for many years, good soil preparation is a worthwhile investment.

Peonies are heavy feeders so they need good, rich garden soil amended with compost or manure. Do not plant them in heavy clay soils as you will be disappointed with the results. Planting depth is also very important. Peonies grow from tubers which are planted horizontally underground. Each viable tuber should have three to five ‘eyes’ which are the growth points. These eyes should be no more than two inches below the surface of the ground. Space them at least three feet apart as they will spread with age. Follow these guidelines, and you can’t go wrong.

Here’s an interesting bit of trivia about peonies. Have you ever wondered why there are always ants on peony buds? I was always under the impression that the ants are necessary for the buds to open because they eat off a coating that keeps the buds closed. Wrong. The truth is that the buds secrete a sweet substance that the ants like. The antsare not necessary, but happily do no harm as they do not eat the buds themselves.
Because of their large blooms, peonies can get top-heavy. Support stakes or rings applied in the early spring can solve this problem. You can also cut the flowers with about a foot of stem to enjoy indoors as peonies make wonderful, fragrant cut flowers.