Taming those peonies . . .

We have a large number of peonies on our property. Last year I staked them - - and they were barely hanging on once they bloomed. This year I would like to buy some of those - quite expensive peony rings. Does anyone have any recommendation on where to get these or other contraptions they have successfully used to keep their peonies from flopping?

I have peoney cages from the hardware store, but most of my clumps are too big; what I do is to use the metal planting stakes that are about as high as your plant will get to be (encircle the plant) and then use garden twine or heavy yarn or pantyhose( cut and tied into strips) and create a spiderweb between the posts, criss-crossing several times This creates many little holding areas for the bloom stalks to grow into.

I actually stake each bloom, as they are just too precious to let fall in the mud. Over the top??? John

Hi Alyssum!

My Peonies are 6 years old now. After three seasons of flop flop flop (even before I could get them into the vase!!), I broke down and bought the 'peony' rings via mail order. What I ended up with were rubber coated metal rounds supported by three stakes. Although they did/do work to a certain degree, I would suggest purchasing ones that have the 'squares' already welded into the center or even making your own, as has been suggested. Myself, I plan on 'somehow' taping those squares into the center(florist tape? Twine?) for next season so I can separate the large flowers and hope for a better display. Best of luck, let us know how you fare!

Alyssum, I use regular tomato cages for my peonies, and just keep the clumps small enough that all the shoots will fit up through them. I divide the clumps every 5-6 years to keep them small enough. I leave the cages on year-round. The foliage hides the cage during growing season and keeps the flowering stems from bending over to the ground, while allowing them to fountain outward somewhat, giving it a more natural appearance.

LOL Parda, how can you get stakes through the rhizomes for each stem? Must give you nice straight stems for arrangements, tho. Mine are arched rather than straight, makes it harder for vases.

lupine, I just wriggle them in where there is little resistance. I do like to disbud some for huge perfect blooms for vases; not much of a loss of blooms anyway, as the weather usually gets too hot for the peonies before the smaller buds open.

Wow - you guys must have giant peony plants. mine only reach about 2 ft tall.

My friend just happend to give me one of these rings yesterday as a Christmas present. It is great and has the squares. I mentioned Peonies right away, but decided it was way too tall. So we decided it would work great for the tall Shasta Dasies that always seem to plop over.

The legs on it are about 4ft long. Always before, I just use some sticks or 3-4 stakes and like Marcis, just use twine to go back and forth between them.

Peonies that are 2'? One of mine is about 36" the other about 42". The shorter ones must be easier to control!

Most years our weather cooperates and almost all the peony buds open, so I decided (after experimenting with disbudding) to enjoy the smaller, more numerous flowers. *smaller? they are still about 5" across! I love peonies, especially the ones with the heavenly aroma.

Maybe it's our super hot climate here in GA, or the soil. These came from my MIL in Pa many years ago. I can't imagine them 3-4' tall.

Wow, Azalea, that would be a more manageable size. The only ones I know of that height are the fernleaf ones with red flowers, and that is at the top of the wish list! John

Something that should work good is a hog panel. They come from a farm supply store so price should be reasonable.
They are 36" X 16 ft. welded wire in squares about 4"x6".
Put some stakes in ground to hold them up. Lay them parallel to the ground. You will need a bolt cutter to cut to size.(Or a cutting torch will work to.)Put them up before the plants start growing. You can layer them 8 to 12 inches apart for taller things. Plants will grow up through the squares and never fall over. We have used these for Delphiniums. You can leave them there year after year too.
Bernie

I use the regular tomato cages on the peonies and Dahlias...seem to work great!

You can't relly tell about the height in this one, but the stone trim on the house behind it is 3 ft high.

Have one of the fern type; 03 will be its 3rd summer and it has never bloomed. Had to move it due to construction;decided maybe it was planted to deep; if I am wrong and it just needed 3 years to get happy - it may pout for another 3 years due to the move. :(
arlene

arlene, depth of planting is very important, not more than one or two inches at most. However, in your zone, it seems doubtful that the ground 'not' freezing would be a problem. That is the reason for the shallow planting, they require that cold treatment. What happens a lot is people plant them properly, but they prepare such a well amended bed for them, that the ground settles, and the roots end up too deep. I suggest waiting to see what happens this spring (are they in full sun?); if they don't bloom, maybe they would do better here in NJ :-) I can send you an 'Ida's Magic' daylily... John

This has been great -- thanks for all the ideas.

John LOL -- (I have 12 peony bushes).

Bernie: I love the hog panel idea - - but it may be hard finding a farm supply store in Westchester County - my DH works long hours and has a hard time getting our lawn mowed - so it would be up to me to contruct them and with the torch and all (LOL) -- although I was raised on a farm and could revert to the "can do" spirit of the farm life! :)

Lupy: Tomatoe cages might be the easiest for me -- I gotta find a good deal on them -- 12 cages could really add up.

Pardancanda,
LOL Think that is exactly what happened; will just try to keep it happy this year and see what it does. Have enough other plants to distract me for this year.

However, next Fall will be digging a 50 year old peony bush from the DH's manufacturing plant.

We bought an old house in a little elevator town in Iowa where I grew up and converted it to light manufacturing. I remember as a child picking peonies from that bush.

It is that bright fuscia pink/red and the other one is a pale pink. When they bloom this spring I will photo and write up a description to post on DG.

When you see that . . . let me know if you want some-there's gotta be plenty.

Gonna have to butter up the DH to get him to dig up something that big!

Alys,
Like the hog panel idea too . . . but this bush is so
big - even with a lot of rain they don't seem to flop over. Would guess it gets to between two and three feet high.

arlene

Here is a picture of mine from last year. They lasted about a week or 2 at the most - - and then a big rain came and did them all in.

http://davesgarden.com/fp.php?pid=430113

Twinlake, peonies are rhizomes, so he can get a section at a time. Each rhizome can be planted for its own plant :) You might get 25 rhizomes from that one bush!!!

A good friend lived in an old farmhouse: her ancestors planted a peony in 1880's, and it is still thriving! It must be 10' in diameter. Just beautiful :)

Regarding the welded squares and how to immitate them, how about electrical wiring? It's rubber coated so it won't rust, and you can get a spool of it in virtually any color pretty cheaply. It's flexible and can be woven just how you want it, even in a continuous piece going 'round the circle, then tied off at the end. Would that work?

Alyssum: Just had to pop in here and tell you that your link to your peony picture is wonderful. Though some folks grow them up here in Seward, Alaska, I've never had much luck with them. I've enjoyed them since my mother had a huge bed of them back in Indiana when I was a child. I thin they were so thick they just held each other up!

Alyssum, what pretty peonies. Wish ours looked half that good.
Bernie