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Texas Gardening

Peony In TX!?!

8 years ago

So I went to work at a house today and near their front porch they had a perfectly happy peony bush. I was shocked considering how hot and dry its been. The homeowner said it was there when they bought the house. It doesn't sound like it gets any special care either. Comes back reliably every spring and blooms in March/April. To top it off, it's in sun most of the day. This is in Austin, btw.

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Comments (5)

sylviatexas1
8 years ago
last modified: 8 years ago
don't know about Austin, but my Uncle Charlie was told, disparagingly, that he wouldn't be able to grow peonies here in DFW/8a.

which activated the hardheadedness that seems to develop in old bachelors & that also runs in my family (I, of course, am unaffected!).

so Uncle Charlie read up on peonies & prepared the most perfect environment for them, & *ordered some peonies by mail*.

He never had paid for anything he hadn't seen, & he hardly ever spent money on anything other than his cat & Prince Albert tobacco. & nobody in our area ever bought plants anyway;

everybody passed-along.

Those peonies grew & thrived, & their gorgeous flowers stopped traffic for years.

edited to add:

They were in full sun on the south side of the house, so they got sun all day long.

http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/peony
holleygarden Zone 8, East Texas
8 years ago
I have peony plants in my garden - East Texas by Tyler. I planted them on a whim, but they have grown and bloomed, and every year I am amazed by them. I think a lot has to do with the type. My favorite is Festiva Maxima, but I also have a Sarah Bernhardt that blooms its heart out. Yes, full sun, although right now their foliage is looking a bit tired (as is most of my garden now). Blooms don't last long, but I don't think they last long anywhere! I imagine Dallas could grow peonies fine, but I am a little surprised about Austin.
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Hi Kate, We have three of Festiva Maxima, but they were just planted last October, so I've not seen them bloom yet. We ordered that one and three other varieties--Edulus, Jules Elie, and Shirley Temple--from a large bulb nursery in North Carolina that's a zone warmer than it is here, so they must be well-suited to heat! (The place is the www.terraceiafarms.com/.) The others they carry are Felix Supreme, Karl Rosenfeld, and Sarah Bernhardt. (I'm assuming that the one they call "Edulus" is the same as the variety that's usually called Edulus Superba.) I've seen Sarah Bernhardt before and it looks wonderful, but hesitated on that one because a peony book I have recommends skipping it because it has to have support when blooming. Anyway, we're just getting started with peonies and it looks as if there are a good many that will work in zone 7. If the winters continued being so cold as this past winter, we could probably grow lots and lots more peony varieties... but I'm supposing that we'll be back to warm winters and droughts soon enough. Our camellias loved the rainy weather and unbroken chill of this past winter, and have done the very best they've ever done. Thanks very much for posting, Kate! Best wishes, Mary
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Check with your county extension office on the number of hours of winter chill average in her area. If it is 400 or greater she should have success with herbaceous peonies. If less than that she could probably grow tree peonies OK. Al
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Check with your extension office for the number of chilling hours where you live. If you get an average of 400 or more, you will probably be able to grow a peony that will bloom. It should be planted in the fall in the dormant state,certainly not in bloom. Al
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You certainly can, however they won't be very happy here. :( If you really love your plants it might be best to leave them where they are happy. I have grown one, a Sarah Bernhardt. It took years for it to do anything. I had completely forgotten I'd planted it the first time it bloomed several years later. They have to be planted where they get morning sun only. I lucked out planting it where I did, east facing, against a fence with a large yaupon holly that over hung the fence blocking out all overhead sunlight. It was along the driveway so the garage blocked a lot of the sun and I also tended to park right next to it so that also blocked a lot of direct sun. Lore says we don't get enough chill time for them during our usual winters. The biggest problem I see is that when they bloom here in North Texas is right when we tend to have either late freezes or hail storms. If one doesn't knock those buds off the other will. I had to really protect that plant every spring, I'd have to put a trash can stuffed with newspapers over it to protect it from freezes or run out and throw a pot over it with a brick on top to protect it from high winds or hail. The bloom time doesn't last long either. You might want to check out the threads in the link below. Here is a link that might be useful: Peony in Texas
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annieinaustin
8 years ago
Would it be too nosy to ask what part of Austin? This is so tempting.
bjb817
Original Author
8 years ago
I'm not as surprised to hear they grow in east TX, Holley. Just mildly surprised. :^)

This was in River Place, Annie. I'm guessing the people the planted it used amended soil. Out there you have a few inches of dirt and then solid rock in the natural areas.
annieinaustin
8 years ago
Thank you. I grew lots of peonies in IL, including some species & tree peonies, but left them all behind. Fun to know someone has made them live here!

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