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Best time to plant herbaceous peonies? Can I plant in Spring?

9 years ago

Hi,

Maybe its just me that is confused as I find conflicting information on websites and from different plant companies. When is the best time to plant herbaceous peonies? Can I do it in Spring? I would love to add a row in on the one hill but I'm not sure if I should have done it already or is Spring the time? (spring is usually when i see the baggies of peonies in Walmart/Kmart but I want to make sure)

~michael

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Comments (6)

KarenPA_6b
9 years ago
The best time to plant is in the fall around October. It is during the fall that the peony plants send out feeder roots and will continue to grow the roots while temps of the soil is above 40 degrees. The roots will help the new growths of foliage and any flower buds. If you plant peonies in the spring, it is still ok but you are setting back the plants and as a result may take the plants longer to flower. I have planted peonies in the spring and some turn out fine though there are a few which I planted 2 years ago and still have not flowered. Gilbertwild usually has really nice prices. In fact on GW member recently posted that she got 5 named peonies for only $25 last month.
amberdim
9 years ago
If you want to buy a peony plant from a local nursery (sold in pots) you can plant them in the spring. I did with a great result. Bare roots better to plant in the fall.
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Just a word of advice about locating the tree peonies. It sounds great that the plants will get early morning sun but it causes problems in late winter. What happens is the sun hits the stems and warms the plant up. But when the air is freezing only the side the sun hits is thawed. The other side remains frozen. The area in between is the problem in that the cells are trying to thaw and freeze at the same time. In this area plant cells can burst and cause scar tissue damage the layer that provides nutrician to the plant weakening the plant. If you can provide shade especially on the lower parts of the tp during the winter it is better for the plant. The shade can be as little as a cloth banner or latticework placed in front of them. Don't give up on the scent as sometimes it is so overpowering that it is nasty when the flowers first open. Of course to my nose almost all of the herbaceous corals smell like re-hydrating dried fish. Very beautiful to look ate but please don't ask me to stick my nose anywhere near them.
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hey, i'm just across the river from Detroit, and just a hint of advice, if you're buying from wal-mart or home depot or something, buy peonies with sprouts already on them, more than just eyes. for some reason i've always had success that way. i feel bad for the ones growing in the bag because they can't escape! but then i know they're alive. also, mine are about halfway to blooming by now. i would keep a careful watch though. i divided a big one last year and still have some small ones wih theire leaves all scrunched up.
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Tree peonies have trunks :) Seriously, a tree peony has a woody structure like a small tree that remains over the winter and then grows new leaves next spring. Almost always there will be a single woody trunk emerging from the ground which will branch at quite a low level. Occasionally you may get multiple trunks, either from the tree peony branching below ground level, or from root suckers. A herbaceous peony is herbaceous :) Can you tell I'm on a roll today? Herbaecous means that it dies down to the ground in the winter, then grows brand new stalks and leaves next spring. The typical habit is lots of individual stalks will grow out of the ground from a central crown.
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It's late to plant bareroots in your zone now, msgenie, but I'd do it anyway. You'll want to provide it a bit more shade than if you'd planted it in the fall when it was dormant. It'll probably have growth on it and it might die back after planting but will make it if babied. Just plant them where they'd normally get full sun (but shade it some through the summer, morning sun is okay but not during the hottest part of the day) and the soil drains well. And $50 isn't a bad price for an Itoh depending on how big the root is. Itoh roots are more woody than herbaceous, you should notice a difference easily when they come in. You might want to post a pic of the roots before planting, lots of forum members have been burned by ebay buys. Hopefully you'll have good luck with yours.
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lizbest1
9 years ago
You can plant bareroots in the spring with no issues, I've even had to divide them in the spring before and had no real issues. They almost 100% won't bloom that spring, though. The little bagged ones from Walmart/Lowes won't bloom for 2-4 years. Planting them in the fall gives them the best chance to get established in time to bloom first spring.
heavenlyfarm
Original Author
9 years ago
Thank you guys!!

I planted some box ones from Kmart in Spring and one from Michigan Bulb(UGH) and none came up(?). Who knows, I have no faith in those ones tho I did love the color! I usually can find some in Spring so I will have to look like crazy next year at yardsales and fleamarkets!

Online was getting me confused because some sites say they ship in fall while others say out of stock for the season or ships in spring. lol so i guess I waited too long now(we got our first snow fall tonight) but good to know!!!
~Michael
KarenPA_6b
9 years ago
Michael, where in PA are you? I may have a few peonies that I can give you next fall. Some are named and some are seedlings so no names. I also have a red old fashioned peony with a rose scent that I can give you now for postage.
heavenlyfarm
Original Author
9 years ago
I am in Walnutport PA...its about 2 hours from Philly or 30 min from Allentown...and that would be great!! :) I am trying a bunch of seeds my parents bought off a lady she had been collecting and I winter-sowed them but I am very unsure and hesitant if they will come up!!
~Michael
heavenlyfarm

P.S. Sorry I responded late! No email notification again! UGH

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