Peonies

Hi Everybody,

I sent Carol7 a link to the picture in the id forum. Her "pink asparagus" is peonies. She and I have both "inherited" our peonies. Carol and I would appreciate any information you can give us on how to care for them.

Thanks,
Sharon

QUIT eating them! ;]

LOL - yeah, let the rabbits do that!

Mostly peonies want to be LEFT ALONE. They like staying where they are and not being bumped around. I know this because I can never let anything just sit. Most of mine have survived their journeying around the yard, but they do pout big time for a year or two. That's my advice.

What is really strange, is that some years mine will come up and bloom. Other years, I rarely see them come up. Maybe the lilac bush they have been growing under has slowed them down some. But I lost a big 10 foot branch off the lilac bush right above them just last week. Maybe they'll make an apperance more often now.

Maybe I need to divide mine? If so, what is the best way to do that?

Thanks,
Sharon

Thought so, glad you solved it.

Sharon...Thanks for posting this thread for us.

Dori...At least now we know one bite isn't poisonous! LOL

Ok, now for my questions....The peonies are scattered in the middle of my backyard. When can I move them to another spot? What type of care/lighting do they need? Thanks for all your help.
Carol

Sharon,
I don't have a Peonie, but a friend of mine that does, says not to spray it...told me that ants pollinate it and if there aren't any ants then there aren't any flowers....

Ants as pollinators, that's good to know. I don't us chemicals too often in the yard. But I will keep that in mind.

Thanks,
Sharon

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Peonies prefer to be moved in late August and early September, they also prefer full sun and not being crowded. this is mostly just stuff I've learned shifting mine around. They HATE having their roots covered too deeply - won't bloom at all if that is the case. they also hate being left out of the ground over the winter - just up and die, silly things!

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Ya know, if a plant can't stand being left out all winter, it's just too darned fickle for me - need to find tougher plants!!!! (giggle)

Seriously, Kathleen thanks for the advice on timing the move of peonies. I've got two large ones that are not in a good spot (they crowd the stairs to my deck, and they get too much shade), so I plan to move and divide them in the fall. I guess the idea is to move them before they go completely dormant, so they have time to establish some roots in their new home before winter sets in?

i've been reading up on peonies. they say that the eyes can not be planted with more than 1 1/2" of dirt covering them or they will not flower. they hate to be moved and are best left alone, unless of course they stop flowering, in which case it means they need to be divided. All of this is best done in the fall. They like full sun.

debi z

The first bloomed opened this afternoon on the peony! It's a pretty white one with a blush of pink in the center. The other blooms shouldn't be too far behind. I will have to move this one in the fall. It really does need to be divided. Thanks for all of the great information!

Sharon

The ants on the Peonies actually eat the green cover (sorry don't know the name) off the bloom allowing it to open that's why a peony may have buds but if no ants, no blooms.

I got a rescue Peony from Home Depot last fall($1.50 in a cracked pot/half dead) and surprisingly, the thing is growing. There are 4 stems about 1 1/2 feet high with black ants over the thing. I don't know what I'm in for here, since this is my first Peony.
Trish

Hi everyone! I've had Pronies for years and doing great. Even rescued a couple. I have moved them all times of the year, and yes they tend to pout a year or two. The roots don't like to be crowded, and they like full sun to partial shade. My grandmother had some in FULL shade and after a couple of years lost most of them. After the blooms, leave and stems die in the fall you can mow over them. Yes mow over them and next year they come back . Here's a little info on them fromThe american Horticultural Society A-Z Encyclopedia of Garden Plants. There are more than 30 species, zone hardy 3-8, sow seeds in containers in the fall or eary winter (may take 2-3 years to germinate), problems with nematodes, leaf blotch,japanes beetle, stem rot, tip blight, Botrytis blight, Verticilliun wilt, and ringspot virus. They come in single, semi-double, double, and Japanese (known as anemone-form). Hope this helps. LOL Tonia

Peonies are long lived perennials. They'll likely outlive you. I've inherited several clumps when we bought this home and they've been blooming reliably for over 23 years and have never once been divided. My neighbor behind me (a bachelor) has never done anything to his clump of white peonies. His lawn grows right into them and he never cuts them down, fertilized them or anything. Amazingly, they come up every year and bloom wonderfully and seem to thrive on neglect. I have rescued an old peony from a neighbor who didn't want them. I've heard that once they are moved it can take up to three years before they bloom but these bloomed the first year after the move. They are dark burgundy singles with big yellow centers. I love peonies and value their wonderful foliage as much as I do the bloom. They're great at hiding an ugly chain link fence. If you're having a dry summer they do appreciate some extra water to keep the foliage green....otherwise the leaves turn brown but it will not kill the plant.

I'm blown away over the "ant thing" That is so cool to know!So now I'd like to pose a new question. Any chance "ants" have the same role in the blooming of azaelas? I'm only asking because I noticed that my blooming azaelas have ants.... I'll leave the little buggars if they're actually helping me out. And if so, does keeping the soil more moist help attract them ? I was associating moist=blooms... but my neighbor's are dry and blooming... maybe she already had ants... hehe =) Thanks!

I have to brag, Last fall at Loews I bought 8 Sarah Bernheart Peonies w/ no growth at all showing for ..... are you ready?......25 cents each.... original price $11.99..I put them in my Winter bed in the pots, gave them some Dutch bulb food, and mulched them in good. They survived & will be blooming within days. I love them but my husband will not let me plant them because of the ant factor, I try to explain that if you plant them far enough from the house that they will draw the ants away, he says that our lot isn't that big. Oh well he's a great guy anyway. .... So guess what Mom (the original hippie) is getting for Mother's Day? Her dream .... a peonie bed fully installed ant and all.P. S. please do not contact me to trade for these they are all going to Mom.

Michele..what a lucky find and your mom will be delighted!
Trish

Lil_Pipsqueak, I've never heard of ants having anything to do with azalea blooms. We had some really nice azaleas at our last home, and I didn't see any ants around them at all. I'd be a little leery of the critters' presence - they may be up to no good.

As a general rule, azaleas like acidic, moist but not boggy soil - they will not survive if their roots stay in standing water, just as surely as they'll die if they stay too dry. (If it sounds a little like Goldilocks and the three bears, it is - not too wet, not too dry, but just right.)

Their ideal environment can be hard to achieve in the south (which should be officially named the "land of clay"), but we did it by digging a 2' wide x 1' deep trench and filling it with peat moss. It took several bags of peat, and I know using this product is not environmentally-conscious, but those azaleas absolutely loved it. Every year, I'd add another bag or two to replenish the bed, being careful to not bury the roots any deeper than they already were, and fertilized them after they bloomed. They were very happy and bloomed like crazy every year.

go_vols,
Thanks for the info. I'm in zone 6 Maryland. More clay than a playdough factory ! Hehe ( It's suppose to be on the acidic side. ) I do treat them to an acidic feeding now and then, and turn the soil... just trying to figure what's making the differnce. I have them in a few spots front and back. Some in part shade, some in full sun. I have been putting out bug granules to get rid of crawlies. Just thought maybe I shouldn't. I have a bunch of praying mantis' nests that should be hatching soon.I love them. They eat the crawlies and they watch me while I garden. My neighbor completely ignores her azaleas and every plant/tree she owns. Yet, EVERYTHING grows like mad for her. ( I know she's got a secret ) I, on the other hand, spend most my waking hours in the garden and my sleeping hours dreaming of it! It's hard to learn it all hands on. (But fun ) I should have taken a class in school.Oh well, sure glad there's people like you to help ! Have a great weekend! ~ Irene

I'll keep you all posted on whether there is any truth to the rumor that no ants on the buds means the buds won't open -- I normally have ants on my peonies but haven't seen a single ant this year. I sure have my fingers crossed because in spite of moving my three peonies this past September, I have a tremendous number of buds getting bigger and bigger every day!

I'm brand new to this site. What a find! I planted a peony from root stock last fall. When it came up this spring I decided to pinch off the buds in hopes of promoting faster root development and a bushier plant. I wish I had discovered this website before I acted. Can anyone tell me if I've done the right thing?

Hello everyone! I have two clumps of peonies, deep red. They're old. They originally came from my grandfather's house - he passed away in 1957 - which means they're over 40 years old. They've survived being moved to other gardens and a piece of serious neglect a couple of years ago when I was seriously ill and couldn't look after my garden. One didn't bloom last year and I thought I'd lost it but this year it's grown back and there are buds on it.
They haven't been moved for the last 30 years or so and apart from that have had no special treatment. I'm really keen to keep them going but it looks as though they prefer to be left well alone. Any ideas?