Just how fussy ARE peonies, anyway?

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Terry Murfreesboro, TN(Zone 7a) Apr 11, 2002

Mollybee asked a question on another thread about flower buds appear on a year-old peony plant. I read somewhere that you should pinch off the buds the first year, so the plant can focus its energy on root formation (sounded like reasonable advice, not too far out of line with other "tough love" gardening tips.)

Another reader said it's not necessary. And that got me thinking - peonies have a reputation of being pretty darned picky, as in:

a) don't ever divide them;
b) don't transplant them unless you HAVE to;
c) if you must move them, do it in the fall, and dig out a huge rootball, and have your planting hole ready;
d) don't plant them too deep;
e) don't plant them too shallow either;
f) always dispose of their leaves and debris, and not in your compost pile; and of course
g) stake them

And there are probably other mantras we could chant - all typical advice you'll get if you read much on the subject of peony cultivation.

But here's a real-life case study that seeks to find out if their reputation isn't a little off the mark.

Last October, my BIL decided to get rid of his peonies. (He had already divided and moved them around several times in the last 5 years or so.) So he dug them up roughly, in the way you would dig up a plant you were throwing out. I happened to be visiting that day, so I "rescued them" from the trash heap. Brought them home bareroot in the back of a pickup, under blazing midday sun. Didn't get around to potting them up until later the next day.

I (somewhat gently) placed these huge old tubers in LARGE containers of decent grow mix; then plunged them in a bed on the west side of our house for the winter. I didn't take much care with the planting depth of the plant OR the pot because it's a temporary "home". And guess what? Not only are they leafing out, they're full of flower buds.

So what's the deal? Do you suppose if I had paid big $$ for these plants, and fussed over them, they'd be pickier about their surroundings? I'm just starting to wonder if they haven't gotten a bad rap - or at least worse than they deserve.

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nmax Lima, OH(Zone 5a) Apr 11, 2002

go_vols,
I've got peonies that were growing at my house when I moved in 7 years ago. They were growing beautifully, but I had to move some because of some work we were doing around the house. I dug them up, left them set outside in the weather for a week or two and then finally hastily planted them. The next year they came up with flowers on them too. I didn't realize they were supposed to be so sensitive. That makes me feel good; maybe I'm a better gardener then I think or maybe Mother Nature was being kind to me.

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louisa Troy, VA(Zone 7a) Apr 11, 2002

Terry go to Molly's thread and bring up the link I posted for her. It's a very good one!! nmax you are probably a good gardener :-)

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