How to Grow Peonies & Get Blooms — Empress of Dirt

Use these tips to grow peonies for a yearly show of gorgeous blooms. We’ve answered common questions for the care of these favorite, long-living perennials.

We also have 6 Tips for Growing Hollyhocks and Dealing With Rust—a sentimental favorite for many gardeners.

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How to Grow & Care for Peonies

If you want a beautiful flowering perennial that lasts for years—some as long as 50 or 100 years—peonies are a top pick.

The peony—pe·o·ny (pēˈənē) (pronounced pee-uh-nee in most regions) is a spring-flowering plant, flowering for a few weeks in May or June.

Once established, a peony can provide flowers every year for decades with little or no maintenance.

If the crown (where the buds are produced) becomes really large, it is recommended that you divide it every few years. Other than that, there isn’t much to do but enjoy the flowers. I’ve provided specific tips below.

Contents

Frequently-Asked Questions

These tips apply mainly to herbaceous peonies but I have included a few tidbits about tree peonies as well.

Read them all the way through and you will have an excellent understanding of how to successfully grow peonies.

Will ants harm my peonies?

Do you notice ants crawling over your peonies?

No worries—it’s natural and they are harmless.

When peony buds are forming, nectar is present in the green sepals surrounding the buds.

This nectar is attractive to ants.

Once the flower opens and the nectar is gone, the ants go away.

Never use insecticides. The ants are just being ants.

Related: How to Remove Weeds Without Herbicides

Is it ok to transplant peonies?

Yes, you can transplant peonies.

You may have read that it’s not recommended to transplant peonies but that is not problem.

So long as they are planted at the proper depth with the right growing conditions (see below), they do fine.

This is what peonies need:

• Sunny location | At least 6 hours total of full sun per day.
  They can still flower with less sun but this is optimal. With less light, blooms may be fewer, smaller, leggy, or delayed.
• Correct planting depth | See more on this below.
• Good soil | Moist, fertile soil with good drainage.
• Right climate
  –Herbaceous peonies are suited to zones 2 to 8, depending on the cultivar and need a nice, long dormant period in winter followed by a humid summer for maximum flowering.
  –Tree peonies are less hardy and do not require the same low temperature lows.

Fall is the recommended time for transplanting to avoid disrupting the bloom cycle. Personally, I move plants any time, careful to disrupt roots, buds, and tubers as little as possible.

Related: How to Change Hydrangea Blooms From Pink to Blue

Why won’t my peonies bloom?

There can be several reasons why a peony will not flower or produces few blooms.

First, is this a new problem? Has the plant flowered previously in the same location and growing conditions?

Or, is it a newly planted peony that has never bloomed?

These next questions will help you diagnose the problem.

Does the plant look healthy?

Black or darkened stems are caused by a fungal infection (botrytis) also known as gray mold, triggered during cold, damp spells.

If that is the problem, you need to cut back the plant and dispose of it.

If the plant appears healthy but is not flowering, these next questions will help.

Was it planted at the correct depth?

Planted too deeply, peonies will not bloom. See the recommended planting depths here.

Does your peony get at least six hours of full sun each day?

Too little sun and the buds may never open. This explains how to assess the light conditions in your garden.

Maybe your peony used to bloom but no longer does. Are there surrounding plants or tree canopies now limiting the sun exposure?

How recently was it planted?

Some peonies take a few years to get established before they will bud and bloom. If started from seed, the wait will be even longer.

Is it an older plant that may need fertilizer?

A peony growing in the same location over many years may use up the available nutrients in the soil and need fertilizer.

Peony Societies recommend an organic 12-12-12 fertilizer applied according to the product instructions. This is usually done twice a year: once in spring and then again in late summer.

Did you over-fertilize?

Exposure to excess nitrogen can over-stimulate leaf growth at the expense of flower production.

Is another plant competing for root space?

Are other nearby deep-rooted plants like trees or shrubs crowding your peony?

Did you have a late frost that may have killed the buds?

A late frost can kill the buds—referred to as bud blast, leaving them frozen in time or causing them to rot and drop off.

Related: Why Your Clematis Is Not Blooming

Should I deadhead my peony?

With herbaceous peonies, deadheading is optional for cosmetic reasons but necessary if you want to prevent seed production.

Deadheading (snipping off the old flowers and their stems down to the first leaves) removes the seed pods and allows the plant to put its energy into additional root growth instead.

Many gardeners (like me) do not deadhead their peonies and growth is still fine.

Related: How to Deadhead Flowers

Should I cut back my peony in fall?

Herbaceous Peonies

Yes, you can (cut do not need to) cut back the foliage to just one inch above ground in fall after first frost. I do not cut back any of my garden plants in fall and by spring the old peony foliage has vanished all on its own, making way for new growth.

Tree and Intersectional (Itoh) Peonies

Tree and Itoh peonies are basically maintenance-free.

You can also mulch peonies for added winter protection but be sure to remove the mulch in early spring, otherwise the buds may not get adequate warmth for blooming.

Related: Fall Gardening Checklist

Can I grow peonies in containers?

Yes, you can grow peonies in containers.

Provide a nice, big container (at least 18-inches in diameter) and they can last for many years in pots. Some gardeners have kept their peonies in pots for over 20 years.

The only situation where I would hesitate is in a really cold climate.

The main concerns for container growing are adequate nutrition (fertilizer) and winter storage, to avoid freezing the roots.

Related: How to Grow Vegetables in Containers

Do deer eat peonies?

Deer (and rabbits) may eat peonies but it’s not their first choice if there are other options available. If they can’t find anything else, they will eat the shoots rather than starve but given a choice, they prefer other plants.

This has tips for deterring deer. Bottom line, fence taller than they can leap is best but often not in the budget.

Related: How to Keep Squirrels Out of Your Veggie Garden

What’s the best way to propagate herbaceous peonies?

Division

Propagation by division can yield several, identical new plants. This is the fastest and easiest way to propagate peonies.

To divide (or move) a peony:

1. Soak the soil the day before to make digging easier.
2. Dig at least 2-feet out from the plant to minimize root damage.
3. Have a large container of warm water ready to soak the tubers and roots.
4. With a clean knife, slice sections with at least 5 eyes each (future buds). Each section will become a new plant.
5. Plant each new plant in a sunny location at the right depth with ample room for root growth as described above.

Peony trees can be propagated by hardwood cuttings.

Seeds

Saving Peony Seeds

Unless you deadheaded, your peony flowers will produce seeds in pods. I just leave them as-is every year but you can also try to propagate them.

If your peony is a hybrid, the seeds will not be true to the parents, but could still be viable. If you want a new plant just like the parent, you should buy one or divide one.

I have not tried germinating peony seeds but this is my understanding of how it works.

Seeds appear black if fertilized and may be viable. Red seeds are neither.

It is recommended to sow the seeds right away in fall. I assume this is because they do not store well.

If can take a year for peony seeds to germinate and they need two chill periods (cold winters) with a warm spell (summer) in between to get started.

Flowering may take as long as five years after initial germination.

Related: Getting Started With Plant Propagation

How can I keep my peonies from flopping over?

Some varieties have big flowers and narrow stems which makes them doomed to be floppy.

While you can’t change the genetics of the plant, you can put supports in place at the start of the growing season to greatly improve the appearance.

Metal grow-through plant grids are one option. Placed on supports, the peony stems grow through the grid holes, offering nicely-spaced support for the plant.

The traditional option is peony cages although they only provide outer support and do not distribute the stems as nicely as the grids do.

Can I use peonies as cut flowers?

Yes, you can use peonies as cut flowers.

There are two options.

Either take flower cuttings (the flower with a section of its stem) as they come into bloom for immediate display or take bud cuttings while they are still closed and round but slightly spongey.

Bud cuttings should be wrapped in newspaper and chilled in the refrigerator. With proper storage, they can be kept for weeks or months before using in floral arrangements. The buds will open at room temperature when their stems are placed in water. I have not tried this so you may want to research more specific tips before trying it.

Where can I learn more from other peony enthusiasts?

National Peony Societies

You can also find state and provincial groups at these sites:

~Melissa the Empress of Dirt ♛