By: Eleanor Moyer, Extension Master Gardener℠ volunteer of Clay County
If you were fortunate enough to attend the Extension Master Gardener Sale, you might have seen pots of peonies for $25! With all the beauty to plant, why would anyone choose a peony at that price? I was strolling along the Tennessee River in Chattanooga a few days ago in front of handsome condominiums whose sloping banks were draped in luscious, fragrant peonies. The site stopped me and all the other walkers in our tracks—it was simply stunning! Popular as they are, petunias don’t have quite the same effect.
The flower hails from Asia, perhaps as long ago as 1000BC in China where it was used medicinally. Today you will find as many articles declaring them poisonous as there are recipes for their use. The plant contains paeonol which can cause mild gastrointestinal issues in some people. There are a few native species in Europe and our western United States.
Peonies are a long-time crop. They can last decades in your garden, but take at least three years to produce flowering stems. For commercial growers, that’s a financial commitment that is passed on to consumers. The plant grows in temperate climates with sufficient cold to produce buds. There are several forms and growth habits. The most popular and readily available variety is the herbaceous perennial, which dies to the ground in winter, reappearing in spring with blooms lasting a few weeks. The handsome foliage lasts until fall. There are six types of flowers: anemone, single, Japanese, semi-double, double, and bomb, most with fragrance. The best time to plant bare-root tubers is six weeks before the first frost which should be the beginning of September-end of August for our area. If you buy a plant growing in a pot then plant anytime in the growing season. They like good neutral, garden soil with six to eight hours of full sun. Transplanting is not always successful, so choose your site wisely. Dig a hole with a mound in the center. Place the tuber with its eye facing upwards and the roots below. Do not plant too deep. If planting from a pot, keep the level of the soil consistent with that in the container. Use fertilizer sparingly and deadhead flowers after blooming. Cut the plant to the ground when foliage dies in the fall.
Tree peonies are long-lived woody shrubs some growing as high as seven feet. As with the perennials, they are deer-resistant plus add structure to the landscape. Another new variety (from about 1948) is a cross between tree and herbaceous peonies—the Itoh—developed by Toichi Itoh, a Japanese plantsman. They contain the best qualities of both. The stems are strong, plants more floriferous, some producing as many as 50 flowers in a growing season, and offer strong disease resistance. Prices for these have come down, but they are still an investment. Tubers can be located online.
If you have peonies in your garden you may have noticed ants traveling to the buds. Scientists are not positive, but it is most likely a cooperative exchange of nectar for insect protection. At any rate, the ants do not harm the plants. Enjoy spring!
