Hello all!

I'm a new gardener. I've been learning as I go, but still a way to go. I looove peony. Ive planted 5 in my yard, (zone8) two bought from a nursery and already sprouted, three roots. One of the plants from last year, just wasn't coming up with all the others. I was concerned and went poking around. 🤦🏻‍♀️I broke off two little sprouts that were under the surface. I'm so mad at myself and wondering now if I've killed it. There were only two shoots that came up last year, but I bought it that way, so I have no idea how many eyes were in the root.
Do you think it may survive?

Another plant I'm worried about is one I've planted from root. This is the second year and it's still just so tiny, with only one short shoot. When I planted I was t aware it needed to be super shallow so I'm wondering if I should dig it up this fall and move it up? Does this seem like a reasonable assumption? My other root looks much bigger, if however, still budless. Stressing these plants so much! My husband Thinks it is hilarious. I was gone with the kids the last week and he sent me pictures of my very first bloom. Lol. I'm so sad it happened while I was gone. 😔

I'll attach a picture of my tiniest little shoot and the bigger one, out of which I planted last spring. And my first bloom bc I'm so stinking excited. Thanks for any help, advice!!

Welcome to the forum. You will get lots of advice. I am sure you didn't injure the plant except it may not grow much this year. The best advice I can give you is growing peonies is a labor of love and will teach you patience. Remember the rule of peonies. When you plant the first year they sleep, the second year they creep (not much above ground, but lots of root development), and the third year, they leap. It will take at least 3 years of patience before blooms. I live in 7b and I plant roots with the eyes at ground level. good luck.

Hi Lisa,
!
I think your peonies look perfectly normal for new ones. You didn't say where you bought them, but I have some from Costco that are several years old that look just like your small one in the first picture.

If you are worried that you may have planted one too deep, wait until it goes dormant in the Fall, and do it then!

Your husband is a gem to send you a photo of your peony bloom. 👏🏻

Peonies are slightly addictive, and it sounds like you have already started collecting. Make sure you label your plants so you know what you have. Some of them look very similar!

I like what Gary said about patience! You will need a lot! The beautiful blooms are worth the wait!

Welcome to the Peony Forum LisaLisa!

Adrianna from the Southern Peony blog answered a question from a follower concerning lifting peonies if they're too deep. She advised doing something that sounded like a gardening version of mud jacking to me! She told him to put the shovel in as deep as possible on one side of the peony out past the drip line and to lever it up a bit and backfill dirt underneath. I think that would work for fairly small roots, definitely wouldn't get enough movement to get under the big ones. Maybe something to try in the fall. I can tell you from experience NOT to try just removing soil from the top, especially if you're in a damp area as you'll create a divot over the crown that holds water, especially in the early spring as they wake up being waterlogged will kill them faster than anything.

I'll be moving my entire garden from zone 4b to 8a over the next few years; we purchased land to build our retirement home in Calera, Alabama. Always keep an eye out now for people growing peonies in a similar zone so I'll be watching your progress with much interest!

Thanks so much for the responses.
Yes, Gary, this will definitely be an exercise in patience. We bought this home just over 1.5 years ago and the landscaping was dismal, and that's being nice. I've never had a green thumb, but I figured I would have to just jump in. Things are coming along quite nicely, and most of what I bought is pretty quickly giving some nice results. The peony, which I am MOST excited about, takes so much longer. Lol. It's hard to wait! It is so fun to watch though! And I found another bud today!!! A different plant, the other I bought from a local nursery, so it may be better rooted. I can't wait to see what it looks like! I believe it was Dr. Alexander. ( my phone totally died last week when I had saved all of my logs for what I planted. So it will all be a surprise! 🤷🏻‍♀️ Cuz Lord knows I can't remember back that far. )

Welcome LisaLisa. For your area it is best to plant the eyes at about one inch below the soil's surface. Sometimes buying in a pot from a nursery is hard to tell how they did it, unless you wait until fall to plant and remove the peony from the dirt and the potting mix they planted it in.

In any case, proper planting depth, excellent drainage and full sun will give any peony the best outcome. Gary is right about patience. When properly cared for, these peonies will outlive just about everything in your yard! They truly are amazing plants.