Peony
"I planted a peony, and it grows beautiful foliage, but it never flowers." We hear this refrain often and we've been led to believe that is the case with all peonies planted here in mild weathered Vallejo and Benicia. Not so! Unfortunately, the peonies often planted are bought via mail order, or at the super-duper discount-get anything store, and they just are not the ones to plant in our area. A good catalog or retailer will specify the peony as very early, early, early mid-season, mid-season, or late blooming. Here we can only reliably grow the very early and early bloom types. What separates the peonies into these categories is their need for winter chill to produce a bloom. All peonies want to feel the cold of winter to bloom well in the spring; they need a dormant period. The early boomers need less chill than the late bloomers. If you were unlucky enough to be goaded into buying the wrong variety, you may still be able to fool the peony into bloom by employing the following trick. From mid December through February, take a tray of ice cubes out and dump them at the foot of the peony, so as it melts it feels the chilly cold of winter. Some folks get the big block of ice and treat the peonies to a big frost. There is a small window of time that bare root peonies are available. Late September and October is the time most mail order growers ship, and when they arrive in local nurseries. Be sure you get the early or very early bloomers, don't be beguiled by the beautiful pictures on the packages unless you want to be icing your peony all winter long. Choose a peony division with at least 3 to 5 eyes on it. The eyes are buds, and each bud gives rise to a stem. A division with less than eyes can take up to 5 years to bloom. With 3 to 5 eyes, the plant may bloom the following year, or the second year. Your peony should be moist and turgid when you get it. They are generally packed in moist bark as packing material. If the roots appear dry, soak them in water for several hours. If you can not plant them right away, repack them in the packing material, and keep them in a cool, dark place. If there is any rot, or soft spots on the root, trim that out with a knife before planting, this eliminates most root rot problems assuming drainage is good.
Once you select your peony, select the site. This can either be in the ground or into a container. As with most plants, they want good drainage. Find a spot that is protected from the wind, away from competing roots of trees and shrubs and in sunny for most of the day. Morning sun is best, with semi- shade in late afternoon; at least six hours in needed during the growing season. Each plant will want at least 3-4 feet of space to grow into. Prepare the soil carefully now since peonies dislike being disturbed once planted. Amendment with organic matter is important to a peony. Dig a hole two feet across and 18 inches deep. Mix native soil with organic potting soil, compost, peat, or a combination thereof to get a rich soil mixture. The pH of the mixture should be between 6 and 7, slightly acidic is the peony's preference. Peat, or a little sulfur, well mixed will help achieve this pH, but check it with a pH meter if you aren't used to mixing soils. A pH meter can be found at most nurseries for about $20.00. A cup of bone meal added at this time to the soil mixture ensures enough phosphorus for bloom.
The second most common error with peonies besides choosing the wrong varieties is planting them too deep. The eyes should be covered with no more than 1/2 inch to 1inch of soil, exposing the roots to as much winter chill as possible. Peonies are extremely cold hardy, some withstanding temperatures down to -40 degrees. In North Dakota, the cooperative extension recommends only planting them 2" deep, and it is really cold up there. Planting too deeply is another reason the plants only produce foliage and no bloom. When you are ready to plant, scoop out several inches from your prepared planting hole and set the division in place. Work the soil in around the roots carefully ensuring no air pockets are left and double-check the planting depth with a ruler.
A container can be used to plant peonies, one per pot. The container should be at minimum 14" and preferably 18" in diameter, and minimum of 12" deep. Keep well watered with eyes just 1" below the soil. The container can be in sun, but guard against the soil getting too hot as the summer warms up, shade it by other plants or move it so the roots aren't excessively warm. Guard against snails, as they love the tender young shoots.
Once the peony is up and growing, a feeding of a low nitrogen fertilizer, such as a 4-12-4, is recommended when the stems are 2-3" tall, and perhaps, if needed after the bloom is spent and is deadheaded. You should not allow the plant to expend energy to produce seeds, so deadheading the flower after it is done blooming is important. Over fertilization with nitrogen causes weak spindly stems, and sometimes-reduced flowering. A prepared fertilizer designed for camellias and azaleas will do to help keep the soil acidified. When cutting the flowers to bring inside, take only 1/3 to 1/2 of all of the plants blooms per year, and leave at least three leaves at the base of the plant. The reason is that, with each flower goes a lot of foliage, which photosynthesizes, producing sugars and starches which are stored in the root. Without the leaves, less food is stored, and the next year bloom suffers.
There are few flowers to rival the beauty of a peony. A few varieties to look for are "Carol ", an early double, dark red with rose center, good strong stems, tall. Festiva Maxima", early double flowering tall, with fragrant massive white flowers with crimson markings, one of the most generally planted peonies, reliable and desirable. " Paula Fay " early semi-double pink, shocking rose pink, with five rows of petals, radiant color with great carrying power in the garden, a gold medal winner. "Bowl of Beauty" an early Japanese style, with huge rose color flowers outstanding foliage of deep green, medium height. "Le Cygne", early double, pure white to ivory, medium height, fragrant.
You can grow peonies here, give it a try.
Carol de Maintenon is a member of Garden Writers of America and owner of Benicia Garden & Nursery.
