Hi,

I have been lurking here for a while. Today my Itoh peony root “Lemon Dream” arrived. I have planted Itoh Peonies before. I have five in my garden. This root has me flummoxed. For one thing it looks much woodier (more like a tree peony) than an Itoh. And the eyes are not even remotely at the same level. I am attaching photos. Could use some information about how deep to plant: cover the crown how far down? Cover all the eyes ... one source suggested planting horizontally if the eyes are placed all up and down the wood. I live in in East Tennessee in foothills of Smokey Mountains. We are zone 7 here.




planting horizon

Bury it in the position of the second picture. I live in 7b, and I would bury it so the crown or or top portion is just below the surface. That will leave 3 to 4 of the scions sticking out of the ground slightly. Hope this helps. The top portion is the crown, the bottom portion roots.

Hi my fellow Tennesseean! Make sure you dig a nice hole where water won’t sit. Then just like Gary said, the position in the second photo is correct. I would have just the tips of those stems above the dirt. Lemon Dream does really well here.

Where did you buy it? Please also share photos of your other Itohs! I love them!

Gary do you mean the top of the crown, middle of the crown, or bottom of the crown?

Gary do you mean the top of the crown, middle of the crown, or bottom of the crown?

Meiko, it came from Brooks.

Mary, Brooks is a great Nursery. I have put a red line on your photo. Everything below that line should be underground.

Welcome to the group, Mary. If you follow the advice of the folks above you should have good results.

Mieko2 and others,

Would you be willing to add a recommendation for Brooks to the Green Pages and any others you like and specify that they are for peonies? There are so few entries that show up when searching for peony suppliers:

Welcome Mary!

LG is right. Cover everything below the red line, and you will have beautiful new shoots in the spring. Good luck!

Carol,

How do I add a recommendation for Brooks to the Green Pages? I am no peony expert, but this is the most beautiful rhizome I have ever purchased. My photographs do not do it justice.

I only have fifteen Peonies, not including this year’s purchases or my first peony — a NOID pass a long that I have been dividing for years. When I realized that its divisions and its children’s divisions had become so numerous that I had run out of neighbors to foist them upon, I decided it was time to branch out. Six years ago I bought my first ITOH (Julia Rose) and ... the rest is history.

And one other question. I have been reading Martin Page’s book “The Gardener’s Peony: Herbaceous and Tree Peonies.” I am enjoying it immensely. Has anyone else here read it?

Mary,
Here is how to recommend a company that sells online:
1. Click on Tools & Apps tab.
2. Click on Green Pages.
3. Scroll to the bottom of the page.
4. Click on Add an item...
5. Click on E-Commerce Companies.
6. Enter complete name of company in the box.
7. Click on Next Step.
8. Fill in details about company.
9. Under the heading Main Product, check the box for peonies.

By the way, at step 5, you will see a choice for recommending a book where you can recommend Martin Page's book, if you like.

Welcome !

I like Martin Page's book too. It is a gardener's book on Peonies.