Question....to grow peonies in Texas where is the best place to put them so they live through the summer ?LOL
I have to have my peonies including at least one white one ...why white? because when you cut them to bring inside you add some food coloring to the water and the edges turn that color.
Peonies in Texas?
Never tried peonies.
7b you might be able to have nice one, we can grow them here in the Dallas area but they hate it here and never get the size and shape they can get up even in say Oklahoma. The key for Peonies is full sun for all but the hottest part of the day and dry roots in winter or they can rot.... easy right? They are a wonderful plant and one I cannot wait to really get to grow again.
Oh I love them so I just have to try ...I think out by the cypress would be the good spot then they will get sun until almost noon then.
Mibus you might check. There are supposed to be some varieties better suited to our summer climates.
I'll keep lookin around then as all I have found are the ones you get at the store LOL
Mibus,
I am from Illinois and love them too, and like you just "had to have them"!!!! I have done pretty well with them here, actually, though as Mitch says you'll unlikely get as full of a plant here as you would farther north. I'd think they'd struggle some in OK as well as the summers are almost as hot there as here, but they do get colder winters. The Midwest is the peony homeland however and you'll never see them as fabulous as they are up there. For north TX, however, get early blooming varieties - that is VERY important - as the flower buds often "blast" and fail if they bloom into May, especially with the doubles. Peonies do not take high heat well. The leaves will sometimes brown in July and August, especially on young plants, but don't worry, that is normal here and a sign the plant is entering dormancy - and you'll find they get stronger as they age. Mine with the best success have been those that bloom no later than the end of April. Eastern and northern sun exposures are the best to avoid the hot afternoon western and southern sun. Japanese and Single varieties do better than doubles or bombs. Buy a few nice ones from a reputable grower like Klehm Song Sparrow....their roots are HUGE and sometimes even flower first year. The ones you buy at Lowe's or Home Depot tend to be small and not very strong and can take much longer to get established. Trust me you get what you pay for, and those purchased directly from the northern growers (not imported from Holland like those in the big box stores) are a much much better deal in the long run. Peonies are not for the impatient though - can take two and even three yers to flower - but they will be fantastic once they're established in a place they like. Make sure soil is loamy and well drained and avoid heavy clay or areas where water stands. Try a couple and good luck!!!!!! :-)
Also, plant with eyes right at or just under (a half inch or so) the soil surface. Too deep and no blooms! Northerners can get away with a couple of inches but not here. Bloomtime up north in May/June traslates to about a month+ earlier here.
This message was edited Feb 3, 2008 11:17 AM
hey Steve THANKS
I just got done reading the info I found at:
http://www.americanpeonysociety.org/index.php?moduleId=JFCWiBQA&pageId=r96rAEl
so I think I am going to try putting the roots I got in a spot in my terrace that will get some nice sun but also some shade later in the day and be close to the water hose....I will have to go find the place you are talking about and look at it. I figure for starters since this is my first year the ones I picked up the other day will do for testing.
What part of Illinois did ya come from? I grew up in Urbana and moved to Belvidere then moved here.
HI Mibus,
Well we're from close to the same area! I grew up in Danville and spend the last 10 years of my life in Illinois (up to 1999) in Champaign. I have been in DFW since then.
See the link below for Klehm:
http://www.songsparrow.com
They have some peony propagation information as well. Are you planting them on a balcony? I am thinking they won't do too well in pots here. Any way you can plant them directly in the ground?
Inherited Peony from my mother. She lived just across the street and they generally bloomed very well for her. I have moved them for the 3rd time this last fall. Don't expect to live long enough for them to become established enough to bloom for me. I have had only 1 bloom in each of the last 2 years. Have been told that the clay is too alkaline and the winters are too warm. Not enough days of consecutive under 32 degrees. Bet if it can be done...Phyllis will do it.
LouC
Bet ya in the new beds you are building with the new soil they would love it...
I don't know about the alkalinity - my friend magnolialover up in WI has alkaline soil and she has tons of peonies. Depending on the source most sites say they do well from 6.5 to 7.5 pH which covers most of us from slightly acidic to slightly alkaline. I tend to amend my soil alot so maybe that has an effect. I am sure they are not happy in heavy clay as they can't breathe well nor does the water probably drain as it should.
Lou, she lived across the street from you down here? How often have you moved them - meaning how long have you allowed them to remain in one spot before moving them again? I have read that peonies need 400 "chilling" hours (under about 45F) to bloom. I don't think they need freezing temps to do well. I do know they don't like being moved and the "clock starts all over" if they are moved - and they'll do better if the eyes are planted at the surface here....have you checked the depth?
Well small world then Steve....Yep Danville is not far at all from Urbana
We used to go camping at Kick-a-poo.
So what brought ya to Texas if I may ask? other then getting away from the cold and snow...which they got 8 inches this last week LOL
When I say terrace I mean an are behind the house that is built up with landscaping timbers that someone before us did.
It kinda divides the back "yard" into 2 sections....one where the Bamboo was and back and the terrace to the house.
Here this link will show you the yard the 6th picture shows you somewhat the terrace I am talking about...just keep in mind these are from back in August shortly after we moved in.
http://www.ladies-of-the-heart.org/Phyllis/
Well Mibus you have a very interesting house and landscape!! I see the terrace you're talking about and that would be perfect since it's nice and raised. Your area is nicely wooded and love the pines in the background. We're lucky here as well NW of FTW near Eagle Mountain Lake as we have tons of trees too and about two and a half acres, though no lake access. I am sure all of the clearing you've had to do was no picnic, but the end result was worth it!
My job took me here about 9 years ago. I work in the warehousing/distribution field and manage a large building in FTW. So, here is home and no plans to leave at this point - though I actually DO miss the snow sometimes - as long as I don't have to be anywhere! How do you like it here? Did you just move to TX last summer?
We did the Kickapoo thing too. My family is still all up in that area and I went up to visit this past Christmas. The weather there was about the same as here!
It's alot like up home to me without the snow and COLD and the dirt is not black dirt but sand clay mix LOL
My folks still live in Urbana ..my dad used to work at Stocks Inc. and my mom worked at Thomas Paine school and is now at LAR Dining hall at the U of I and my brother is on the Urbana Fire Dept. LOL
Yeah I think that was my first impression too when I came here. Similar in lots of ways but different in others. The soil here NW of FTW is not as clay-ey as it was at my previous house in north FTW but still not as nice as what we had up there. I went to school at U of I in C-U and lived there a few years after graduating.
Smockette mentioned that they needed the cold for a period of time to bloom down here. She said a lot of people put ice on the roots to keep them cold. I don't use ice much in the cold months so I could put it out there but not sure when would be best.
((Smockette))) tell me again, I didn't take notes.
Hey Sheila how is Smockette doing? and yes when is best LOL
Well did you live on campus and if so what dining hall did ya go to?
My mom started out at Peabody as a secretary and ended up over at LAR then switched over to a checker.
I'm sure we are both glad we are not living up there right now in ventral or northern Illinois as they are suppose to be getting hit by the worse storm yet this year starting tonight ..I got my folks up this morning at 5:30 before I left for the bus and told them to get out of here since they were calling for bad weather all the way up to Illinois and I wanted them home tonight....they made good time and had good weather until they got into Illinois tonight then the weather caught up to them and it rained really hard but they got home about 9:15 which is good as the snow is suppose to start tonight.