A guide from A to Z

When to plant peonies

Peonies are usually planted when they are commercially available. You can plant container goods all year round, provided there is no frost and the ground is frozen. Bare-rooted specimens should preferably be planted outdoors in autumn.

It is ideal - for all peonies - to plant them in the ground between September and the end of October. Then they can take root well by next spring. But be careful: In the first winter you should cover the peonies sufficiently.

Which location is suitable for the plants?

They want your Peony abundantly blooming? Then you should have a bright and warm one Location choose for you. Peonies like to grow in shady places under deciduous trees, which give them some shade. But a fully shaded location should not be an option for them.

Put your peony in the sun or partial shade! When choosing a location, it is important that the location is protected from the wind, for example on the house wall or on a wall. It would be ideal if the location is sunny but shaded at noon. This protects the peonies from the heat in summer.

Which location is also completely unsuitable?

It is also important to note when choosing the location that the peony should not be planted where a peony was previously. If you do, you run the risk that the new peony will grow poorly and will hardly or not at all bloom. The reason: so-called soil fatigue.

Can peonies also be grown on the balcony?

Peonies develop long roots that protrude deep into the ground. For this reason, they are rather unsuitable for pot and tub culture. If you want to plant them in the tub, you should choose a very deep tub. It should be about 50 cm deep. It is better to plant the peony outdoors.

What should the substrate be like?

In addition to the location, the substrate also plays a decisive role. The most important thing is that it is profound. The following aspects are also advantageous:

• moderate
• well permeable (as sensitive to moisture)
• moderately moist
• humic (but not too humic, otherwise there is a risk of diseases)
• nutritious
• ideal: sandy loam soils

How to properly sow peonies

To the sowing the following notices:

• can take 5 years for the first flowering to set in
• only use fresh seeds (they quickly lose their ability to germinate)
• Seeds are cold germs
• sow in autumn
• z. B. in seed trays
• Cover about 1 cm thick with substrate
• place outdoors in partial shade in the open air
• keep moist
• Germination time: up to 2 years
• prick out in spring

What plant spacing should you pay attention to?

The planting distance depends on the respective peony species and variety. Perennial peonies should be placed 1 m apart. For rather low varieties, a planting distance of 80 cm is sufficient. Shrub peonies need a lot more space. A minimum distance of 120 cm is recommended here. So that the plants do not appear crowded together, a distance of 200 cm is more appropriate.

When do peonies bloom?

Depending on the type and variety, peonies bloom at different times. There are the 'early bloomers' among them that bloom as early as April. This includes, for example, the precious peony 'Claire de Lune'. Most of the specimens bloom from May to June.

How do you plant the crops step by step?

Planting perennial peonies is very simple:

• Dig a planting hole - 40 cm deep and 50 cm wide
• possibly. Add compost and some sand as drainage
• Insert the plant
• Do not set buds too deep (otherwise no flowers) - 3 to 5 cm below the ground
• fill up with soil
• press on
• water

the cut compatible Shrub peonies are planted in a very similar way. There are two main differences! They should be placed in the ground at a slight angle. The result is that the plant develops more main shoots and becomes bushier in growth. It is also important to place shrub peonies with the grafting point 10 to 15 cm below the surface of the earth.