Planting Instructions
SITE LOCATION
Site location is the most important factor in successfully growing any peony. Pick a location to plant your peony that will not be disturbed for a number of years and receives at least 6 to 8 hours of light, preferably direct sun, per day. They should not be crowded by other plants since they need plenty of room for good growth and free circulation of air. They must be far enough from trees and shrubs so that they will not be robbed of their nourishment by roots of these plants. In addition, they need good drainage and will not tolerate wet feet. They should never be planted where it is continuously wet or where water will stand over them during any season.
Peonies will grow in any good garden soil. Sandy Soils tend to make more foliage and fewer blooms. Sandy Soils can be amended with fertilizer, bone meal, peat moss, and various types of organic matter such leaf mulch and various types of manure to improve the soil fertility. Clay soils are too rich in nutrients and peonies tend make slower growth but have better flowers.
PLANTING TIME
The best time to plant peonies is in the fall, beginning with September in the Northern United States and October in the Southern United States and ending a few weeks prior to the ground freezing up for the winter. This is important, as peony plants grow almost all of their root system in late fall while the ground is cooling off- prior to freeze up for the winter. Roots planted in the spring depend on their reserves, since no new roots will likely be grown until fall.
In the South, they should not be planted after active growth starts, which is in January or early February. Spring planting is not advised for the South, even if the roots have been kept in cold storage. The roots begin to grow at once and have no connection, by feeder roots, with the ground and, hence, often die from heat and lack of nourishment.
PLANTING
When planting the roots, dig each hole large enough to easily accommodate the root without crowding it. The top eye, on the crown of the peony division, should be 1 to 2 inches below the normal surface. Be sure you do not plant the root upside down. A normal division has the crown top with the eyes pointing upward and the roots extending downward. Then fill in around the peony root with soil, working it in with your fingers, until no voids are left below the plant or among the roots. Fill your hole in until all of the roots are covered. Make sure to firm the soil, but be careful not to break the roots or eyes in the process. Due care should be taken not to injure the root division in any way. When you have filled the hole and firmed the soil to a point just covering the roots and eyes, pour in about a gallon of water and let it settle, then fill with loose soil, mounding it up a few inches for winter protection and to keep the roots from heaving. The mound of soil will normally sink to the proper level by the next spring. If it does not, level it in the spring.
