Perfect Peonies

We all love perfect peonies with their big beautiful blooms! But not all of us can grow them…

Firstly, they have a very short blooming season; from late spring to early summer. This is why they are so expensive in the cut flower market. And they also need long and very cold winters to grow properly. Sorry to those near the coast! You will have to do with the occasional bunch of flowers purchased at the store.

If you live in areas with very cold winters such as the Highveld, Free State, KwaZulu-Natal Midlands and the inland regions of the Western Cape, you have a chance to grow these great flowers and enjoy them for years to come. Peonies are perennials and long-lived, but they do need at least three years in the ground before they become abundant with flowers. With a little help and attention, these flowers will be well worth the effort in the end.

What Perfect Peonies Need

• Peonies must be planted in full sun or dappled shade, with morning sun and afternoon shade as the ideal.
• Make sure the soil is well-draining and enrich the soil with compost when planting.
• The root stock must be planted between 1 and 3cm below the soil. In colder regions plant deeper and in warmer regions plant at a shallow depth. You are looking for a balance of foliage to flowers and roots planted too deep will have foliage only.
• Plant peonies away from nutrient-competing plants and at least a meter away from each other to make sure there is enough air-circulation between them. Humidity will bring on blights and fungi that will damage the plants.
• Water in the roots well and then mulch well with bark chips or compost to keep the temperature constant. For the first 2 years, water at least twice a week to get the plants well established. After that water deeply during the growing season every 5-7 days depending on rainfall.
• Feed with an all-purpose fertiliser in spring when the foliage emerges, and 3 months later before the winter slumber.
• Deadhead regularly as soon as the colour begins to fade.
• Cut off any drying foliage in mid-May to avoid any pests and diseases. Make sure to mark where they are so they are not dug up, and then leave them to rest until they resprout in spring. Don’t dig them up or they will not flower the next season.
• If you grow them in containers, choose large ones with good drainage so that the growing root system will not need to be disturbed.

Peonies will double in size every year and so will the number of flowers per plant.

READ MORE: Peony ‘Shirley Temple’