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- Site Selection
- Amending Your Soil
- Planting
- What to Expect
- Fertilizing Peonies
- Deadheading Flowers
- Fall Care
- Diseases/Insects
- Cut Flowers
- Peonies Not Blooming?
- Transplanting Peonies
- Dividing Peonies

Herbaceous peony's grow well in zones 3-8. For more information on your horticultural zone visit the National Gardening Associations website.

Second, consider soil conditions. Peonies tolerate a wide range of soil conditions. Ideally, you want a neutral to slightly alkaline soil that has good drainage and high organic content. Peonies planted in clay soil, amended to ensure good drainage, take longer to become established but produce beautiful flowers for generations as clay soil retains nutrition.  Peonies planted in sandy soil take less time to become established but can produce less striking plants as nutrients easily leech out of the soil. If planting in sandy soil, amend with clay and compost and top dress several times a year with compost to renew the soil. Be cautious when top dressing as this can increase the depth of your plants and plants that are too deep will not flower, see the planting section for details.

Regardless of soil conditions, herbaceous peonies need soil that drains, as peonies cannot tolerate wet feet. 

Amending Your Soil
Look to create a friable loam - soft, dark, rich, loose, soil that has relatively equal proportions of clay, silt and sand. These soil conditions will allow for free water flow while retaining the nutrients in the soil.

If you have clay soils you will need to amend for drainage. A good solution is to mix compost and rock dust into your soil. Rock dust can be obtained from a neighborhood quarry. Gypsum, a type of rock dust, can be obtained commercially from garden centers. Rock dust has the benefit of adding micro-nutrients to the soil.

If you have sandy soil amend with clay and compost to increase the retention of nutrients.

Herbaceous peonies tolerate a wide pH but prefer a neutral to slightly alkaline soil, a pH to 6.5 - 7.5. If you are unsure of your soil condition or pH, you may want to get a soil test from your county’s agricultural extension service.

Planting
As your peony prefers to be planted and left in one location for generations, it is worth taking the time to amend the soil as above.

To plant, dig a hole one foot wide by one foot deep. You may want add a slow release fertilizer that is low in nitrogen, such as bone meal or bulb tone.

Plant so that 0.5 to 1.5 inches of soil cover the top of the root - peonies should be planted deeper in lower numbered zones and more shallow in higher numbered zones. For example, most of Virginia will plant peonies at .5 inch, northern New Jersey will plant at 1 inch, and Maine will plant at 1.5 inches below the surface of the soil. Planted too deeply flowers will not develop, too shallowly and the tops of the eyes will freeze and die back in the winter.

Press down on the soil to remove air pockets in the soil around the root and lift the root as necessary so it does not settle more than 1.5 inches beneath the ground. Water in well. Avoid mulching your herbaceous peonies as this will insulate them and they may not flower.

During the first two growing seasons after planting a new herbaceous peony, ensure that it gets a good soaking every two to three weeks. This will allow the plant to get enough water while the fibrous root system becomes established. Remember that peonies do not like wet feet and be careful to not over water, the soil needs to dry out fully between watering.

What to Expect
Peonies, like most perennials, take three years to become fully established in your garden. They follow the well known truisms - first year sleep, second year creep, third year leap - or first year roots, second year shoots, third year flowers. You will see some flowers before the third year, but it takes three springs before the plant has a mature and stately presence. Herbaceous peonies can live for decades in one place without needing to be moved or thinned.

Fertilizing Peonies
Peonies typically thrive with neglect and therefore need little fertilization.  First consider the environment.  Is a chemical fertilizer necessary? If so choose a balanced slow-release one like 5-5-5 or 10-10-10. Rarely, do we use chemical fertilizers at Peony’s Envy. Instead, we compost all the time.

We spread 120 to 180 cubic yards of mushroom compost on the gardens every year. Hy-Tech Mushroom is a company in Pennsylvania that has the very best compost.

We use Neptune’s Harvest™ fish and seaweed emulsion by the gallon both as a foliar spray when leaves are emerging and as a root drench both when planting and during fall cleanup. Other options for fertilizer are well-decomposed compost, bone meal (be wary if you have digging dogs or raccoons), bulb tone, or rock dust. When applying compost be careful not to a thick layer as this could increase the planting depth and reduce blooming. The best way to apply compost is by mixing it in a ring around the peony.

Deadheading Peonies & Peony Cultivation

After the bloom, unless you are interested in seeing if your peony will produce seeds, deadhead your herbaceous peonies by cutting the stem to the first set of true leaves—usually 8" to 12".

If you are interested in collecting seeds, wait to see if a seedpod begins to form as in the first picture below. Seeds will ripen and be ready to plant in early fall. Note that not all herbaceous peonies can produce seeds as the stamens have been diminished or lost in the hybridization process. If a peony is not able to produce seeds, the stem will not produce a seedpod and will look like picture two. In this case cut the stem back to the first set of true leaves. Note that to get a peony the same as another you currently grow, you must divide the root. If you are lucky enough however to have a variety of peony that produces seeds, the seeds will produce peonies distinct from the parent. Plant the seeds one inch below the surface of the soil immediately when they ripen-like picture three. Plant them outside in similar conditions favored by the mother plants. Mark them well and wait. It may take two years for a seeding to emerge and as many as ten years for the plants to produce flowers.

Fall Care

In the fall peony leaves loose their luster, turn colors, and begin to die back for the winter. As they fade they are not longer photosynthesizing and providing sugar to the root, which means that it is time for fall cleanup and care. It is common at this time for the leaves to be less than aesthetically pleasing.  They may be dotted with brown spots or covered in a white mold.  These diseases are common and largely cosmetic but should be removed from the garden.  Cut back your herbaceous peony stems so they are two inches above the ground, see the picture above, and throw away the leaves. Leaves should not be composted in your home garden compost as it does not get hot enough to kill the spores and bacteria that may be on the plant. 

Additional fall care consists of cleaning up the area around the peony and adding compost six inches from the base of the stem. Compost should not be piled directly on the peony as any layered soil will make the peony too deep and may keep it from flowering in coming years. Carefully check the surface around the stem to ensure the pink or white eyes remain 0.5 to 1.5 inches below the surface of the soil depending on your horticultural zone. If desired, add fish and seaweed emulsion, bone meal or a slow release fall fertilizer according to package directions to give your plants a little boost for fall.

Please note that theses are fall care directions for herbaceous peonies. For information on tree peony care click here.

Diseases/Insects
To prevent disease make sure your garden is kept clean, that air circulates, and that plants are kept healthy. Messenger™ and Neptune’s Harvest™ are two organic products to keep your plants healthy and disease resistant.

Powdery Mildew - leaves turn white. Onset is in late June through September.  It is not fatal and tree peonies are less prone than herbaceous peonies to this fungus. In some years powdery mildew is worse than others. It can infect plants when there are hot days, high humidity, and cool nights. Once the plant is infected there are virtually no sprays or oils that will rid the plant of powdery mildew this year. However there are some preventative remedies to keep your plants from getting powdery mildew. These include the following: Bacillus subtilis to boost plant’s natural defenses, neem oil or other horticultural oils, backing soda spray (1t backing soda, 1qt. water and a few drops of liquid soap), products containing sulfur, or a biofungicide recommended to treat powdery mildew on peonies, rhubarb leaf tea, cornmeal as a soil amendment or mixed as a spray. All pesticides should be used according to package directions and remedies should be tried on portions of the plant prior to making large scale applications. The cooperative extension service in New Jersey recommends potassium bicarbonate at 7-10 day intervals.

Botrytis - young stalks wilt and die, buds turn black. Onset is in early spring when temperatures remain below 70 degrees. Botrytis will kill tree and herbaceous peonies if not treated. Botrytis thrives in cool humid conditions and can be minimized by planting peonies where they have good air circulation. When noticed, cut off diseased portions of the plant, dipping the pruners in a 10% solution of bleach between each cutting to ensure the disease does not spread. Throw out the diseased portions; do not compost. A more aggressive option would be to use systemic fungicide labeled for use on peonies. The cooperative extension service of New Jersey recommends Ferban and Manebrom. Griffin Greenhouse Supply recommends products including Cease, Daconil, Medallion, and Veranda-O.  Follow all instructions on the label and trial pesticides on small portions of the plant before making large scale applications.

Various Fungi/Diseases - There are several diseases that can cause blotches on the leaves or cause the plant to turn black, wilt and portions to die. When in doubt, send a sample to your county’s agricultural extension office for laboratory diagnosis and treatment recommendations. But in general peonies are disease resistant and require very little care.

Ants - We have heard for generations that ants are necessary for peonies to flower. This is not true. The ants are simply attracted to the nectar on the buds. Ants keep the garden clean of other pests and will not hurt the flowers or the leaves. To prevent bringing in ants when you cut your peony flowers cut them when they are a tight bud and the ants can be easily shaken off. This also increases the longevity of your cut flowers as they open more slowly in the cool of your house than the heat of the outdoors. For detailed information on ants and cut flowers watch Kathleen's Martha Stewart Clip.

Chafer Beetles - peony flowers being eaten. Chafers are beetles look similar to Japanese beetles. They can be removed by hand or killed with almost any insecticide. Neem oil is an organic option, read the product label for more detailed instructions.

Cut Flowers

Click here to watch Peony's Envy on The Martha Stewart Show for a VIDEO on how to cut and store your herbaceous peonies.

When to Cut
If you are wanting to use your peonies as cut flowers, cut the buds when they are hard like marbles but have begun to show color. Bringing the flowers in at this point allows them to open at a slower rate as they are opening in the cool of your house instead of the heat of the garden.

Ants
If you are worried about ants when bringing cut flowers into the house simply cut the flowers when the buds are still closed. Also, if you cut your flowers in the evening, there are often fewer ants on the buds.

How to Save
To preserve your flowers for weeks after their bloom time simply cut them in the stage stated above and store them in the refrigerator. They can be stored in a vase with water, protected by a flower sleeve, for up to six months if you continually change out the water.

They can also be stored in the refrigerator without water, placed on their side, wrapped in newspaper for a few weeks. They will rehydrate when placed in water.

On both of these methods, watch for any mold or fungus and remove these portions as soon as they are spotted. Note that peonies stored for a long period of time will open faster and not last as long. It takes practice to store peonies successfully so try it this year and see how long you can keep your peonies.

Peonies Not Blooming?
If you have old established peonies that have beautiful green leaves and no flowers it is often a problem with planting depth. This can be due to a number of reasons such as years of mulching or shift in the garden. To check the depth of your peony carefully move the soil from the top portion of the plant being careful not to break off the delicate pink eyes. The top of the root should be from 0.5 to 1.5 inches below the surface of the soil. Another possibility that should not be ruled out is amount of sunlight. Over time surrounding trees and shrubs can shade out your peonies resulting in fewer and fewer flowers.

If the overall health of your plant is declining check planting depth, the amount of water, competition of roots, depletion of nutrients in the soil, etc. It may be time to transplant your peony. Divide it when you transplant it following instructions below. Plant divided roots in a new section of the garden so the soil in the former location can recover.

Transplanting Peonies
If you are lucky enough to have mature peonies in your garden and want to transplant them or share them, the time to do this is in the fall when the plants are dormant. First, dig the new holes and amend the soil as necessary. Then to lift your established herbaceous peony, beginning at least eight inches from the base of the stem, loosen the plant from the soil with a large garden fork, work your way around the plant, and gently pry it from the ground.  The roots are brittle and can easily be broken. The peony can either be planted as is, or can be divided into several parts. Any time peonies are transplanted or divided, they take a few years to return to their previous grandeur.

Dividing Peonies
When dividing an herbaceous peony, wash the dirt off of the roots. Let the peony stand for a day so that it softens and becomes less brittle, you are letting the tiger pressure drop. The root has four parts: large tuberous roots, small fibrous roots, a connective crown and eyes at the top of the crown. Cut away the fibrous roots. Divide the plant into pieces by carefully cutting through the crown. Each piece should have at least one strong tuberous root and 3-5 eyes in the top of the crown. Plant each herbaceous peony as far apart as the cultivar is tall according to the guidelines above.