I've had it for a few years but haven't been able to get it to grow. I'm zone 4b and we have late frosts and snow, last few years blizzards, up until mid-May. If your area is prone to any of that kind of weather I'd select a more hardy type. Others here on the forum have posted pics of it and they were amazing. And yes, it's easy to stake peonies. There are several types of peony rings available, some people use cut down tomato cages as well. I have both and neither are hard to use. The cheap, 3 legged peony rings work fine, just twitchy to set up, legs come off pretty easily and you have to adjust them around the ring to balance it well. I don't know if they're quite tall enough to support a tall peony well. Plus side is that they store flat if you choose to take them down in the fall/winter. Someone on another forum posted a pic of a huge, typically floppy white peony that was too big for a ring--they put it around the middle of the peony with the outer edges still floppy and it looked AMAZING. The ring was enough to keep the weight of the middle off the outer edges, just gave it a rounded look.

As for how to stake them, you just shove the legs into the ground as the peony starts to emerge in the spring and stand back, they grow pretty quickly. It's a good idea to check the placement a few times to make sure it's centered over the growth. Just make sure you have one big enough so that the legs miss the roots when you put it up.

Hi,

I am in zone 5b, in Northern IL. We do get frost sometimes in May, but it's not as common.I recall seeing a more sturdier Peonies call "My Love", but unfortunately, the plant appears to have white flowers, which she does not like.

My thought was that I should just buy one and then planted it and see if it will work, but since Peonies may take a few years to established, that may not be a good idea. Maybe I should just put in the money now and hope for the best.

What I was thinking of putting 3-4 bamboo around the plant and then tie it up. It probably doesn't look too good in the beginning, but the youtube video said it will grow and obscure the bamboo and ties. One reason to do this is because both the in-laws are busy and don't always remember to do stuff on a schedule. The bamboo can be added later where you have to remember add the ring.

Paul

Yep, bamboo stakes and twine are pretty effective to use for holding up floppy peonies and the foliage will disguise the hardware effectively once it's bigger. Good luck with Mrs. FDR--it's an amazingly beautiful bloom.