Peony - Scrumdidleumptious

Planting period

Bare-rooted peonies can only be planted during the plant's dormant period, i.e. from late autumn to early spring. During the season when the ground is frozen, it is of course difficult to plant in the final location and therefore a temporary planting in a pot can be an emergency solution. The best time to plant bare-root peonies is therefore late autumn, when the peony is dormant but the soil has not yet frozen. The peony root is not at all sensitive to cold and frozen soil once it is planted in the soil.

Placement

Peonies need an open, bright spot, preferably sunny, to develop optimally. However, avoid excessively sunny and warm locations, because although the peony may well thrive in such a location, this means that the peony flower will quickly over-bloom. Too much shade, on the other hand, usually leads to poorer flowering, even though the plant may well grow well in a shady position. The best location is therefore an open space where air can circulate freely around the plant and which receives sunlight for a few hours a day.

Soil and planting

Peonies thrive best in a loamy soil, which usually makes it easy to find a good location as garden soil consists largely of loam. Dig a wide planting pit, preferably 3 times the diameter of the root, but at least 40-50 cm. The depth of the planting pit should be just over a shovelful, i.e. around 30 cm. Then place the peony root high enough in the planting pit so that you can almost see the roots in the soil. Remember that the soil will sink slightly after planting, so place the root slightly higher than the surrounding soil. Then fill in with soil around the roots, making sure that no air pockets remain. Then water thoroughly, preferably 10 litres per plant, and make sure that the soil ‘settles’ around the plant. It is important that the roots are not too deep, as too deep a root placement often leads to poor growth and flowering.