How to Grow Peony Plants

About Growing Peony Shrubs Your Home Garden

Growing peony shrubs is very rewarding. Thick and lush leaves. big, bright, showy peony flowers. These are the two most common descriptions of peony shrubs. OH, we forgot the word “popular”. Big, lush peony plants with big, bright, showy flowers are very popular with home gardeners!

Peonies have their “roots’ in two areas of the world. “Common Peonies” originated in southern Europe. Do you have any idea where the “Chinese Peony” originated? Tree peonies come from China, too. The Chinese peonies have double blooms and are more fragrant than their European cousins. Peonies are perennial plants and grow quickly. And, they produce colorful, showy blooms in late spring to early summer.

There is a wide range of colors to choose from, including white, red, crimson, yellow, and rose.

Flower Colors: Shades of crimson, coral, red, rose, pink, purple, yellow, white and more.

Flowers Bloom: The flowers bloom in the spring to late fall.

Shrub Height: up to 5 feet tall.

Hardiness Zones: 3 – 9

Perennial Paeoniaceae

Medicinal Uses of Peonies

Ancient Chinese used parts, of the peony plant, primarily the roots, for treatment of fever, muscle cramps, liver ailments, atherosclerosis, hepatitis, and even PMS!

While ancient cultures used peonies in medicine, it is listed as poisonous plant.

Perennial Peony Plant Propagation

Peony plants are grown from roots. The roots develop “eyes” which in turn grow into a new Peony.

When transplanting roots from an existing plant, make sure there are at least a couple of eyes on the roots.

How to Grow Peonies Flower Plants

Peonies plants like rich, well-drained soil, and full sun. Add plenty of compost and well-rotted manure before planting, and again each fall.

Plant roots with eyes 1″-2″ deep. Space plants a minimum of 24″-36″ apart.

The plants grow fairly quickly to their full height. The flowers bloom in the spring to late fall. Make sure to provide water during periods of drought.

Add a general-purpose fertilizer a couple of times a year. Also, use fertilizer high in Phosphorus about two weeks before blooming.

Peonies produce a thick, lush plant. If the plant appears too bushy, trim, and thin to improve air circulation. This will help to avoid plant diseases that can harbor in the dark, humid areas of this dense plant.

Garden Tip: If the plants are too bushy, it could be a sign of too much nitrogen in the soil. Consequently, cut back on this fertilizer, and substitute with one higher in Phosphorous.

The profusion of leaves and flowers can cause the plants to fall over, spoiling the beauty of the bloom. Make sure to support the plants with garden stakes or hoops.

In the fall, trim the plant back. If it has experienced plant disease, you can trim it back to the ground. Remove and dispose of any diseased leaves and stems.

Add a covering of mulch in the fall in areas where there is little or no snow cover.

After a few years, the clumps of roots can get too thick and may require digging them up and removing some of the roots. A sure sign of the need for thinning the roots is smaller flower blooms. Chances are, your friends will appreciate your delivery of roots from your favorite plants.

Ideal Soil pH: 6.0 – 7.5.

Also, see:

Plant Problems – Identify the causes and find the cures.

Insects and Plant Disease

Peonies shrubs usually have few insect problems. The presence of ants is common. They are attracted to the nectar in the sweet flower buds. Ants do not hurt the plant or the blooms.

Many plant diseases can affect your plant. These include blights, leaf and stem spots, wilts, molds, and viral disease. Treat plants early with a fungicide. Better still, apply fungicides early in the season before disease occurs. Repeat applications as indicated on the fungicide label.