How to Care for Peonies

Peonies are such a beauty in mid-spring! They are perennial, bloom profusely after a couple of years (more on that below), are deer-resistant, and are just lovely in every way. We are sharing how to care for them in today's post!

How to plant Peonies:

• Plant Peonies in well-draining, fertile soil. If you have clay in your soil (as most of us do here in Middle Tennessee), you will want to amend it with soil conditioner. We can instruct you on how to do this simple task at the garden center.

• Peonies prefer average to moist conditions, and do not need to dry out for long periods of time. If newly planted, we recommend deeply watering every 3-4 days the first year it is planted (our winters are usually very wet, so it isn't necessary then), when we aren't receiving adequate rainfall.

Caring for your Peonies:

• You will not truly prune this shrub until late fall (at which point you can cut it back to about an inch off the ground).

• Fertilize with a general-purpose, slow-release fertilizer in early spring when you begin to see small shoots come out of the ground (bone meal is also an excellent option), and in fall with a fresh layer of compost (do not add the general-purpose, slow-release fertilizer at this time).  

• Add fresh mulch around your Peonies in early spring if you haven't added mulch in a year or more.

  
  

• You will probably need to stake your Peony stems as it matures. Each stem can have multiple buds on it and will become heavy and weighted down by them.

  
  

• After they've finished blooming, there is a simple tip to help them be on their way to creating gorgeous blooms again next year. Deadhead spent blooms by pruning the flower back to the first set of leaves (the first set of leaves closest to the bloom). Do this on each bloom.

If your Peony isn't budding/blooming this year:

• It could be because it is a young plant. It usually takes 3-4 years for a Peony to bloom in the ground in a new location, even if it was blooming when you purchased it from the garden center.

• It could be that it was planted too deeply. Peonies need to be planted shallow, with their crown (the top of the base of the plant, right above the roots) planted no more than 2 inches from the surface of the soil.

  
  

• If your Peonies are planted in too much shade, they won't bloom well for you. Peonies need full sun or mostly sunny locations.

  
  

• If none of these listed above describes your situation, fertilize as we suggested above in early spring with a general-purpose, slow-release fertilizer, and add a fresh layer of compost in the fall. And always feel free to reach out to us with questions; we're happy to help!