Had my first tree peony bloom on Saturday, March 30th.. And today, another one is blooming. Love this time of the year

Thanks for sharing those.
Nice to see spring time in California!

Beautiful tree peonies!!! At least someone has spring..

How did I miss the first tree peony? Lovely!

Thanks, all. Tree peonies are one of my favorites. The next one to bloom was this pink one - it opened up last week.

And for this week, a white one.



This one is not as full as it was and is getting lanky. I will have to do some pruning this year to get it to bush out more.

I have been learning more about tree peonies and a very knowledgeable grower told me recently that they really do tolerate pruning well and respond, like many trees and shrubs do, with more vigorous growth. So don't be worried about pruning, have at it

For pruning tree peonies watch for bud developments in late June depending on how far back you wish to prune. Prune above a bud node depending on direction you wish for the plant to grow. I have found that if you prune too close the bud may die. Of course you can wait until fall when all of the foliage has died back.

Thanks for your input, Tracy and Alana.

It is true that tree peonies can take pruning - I have been pruning the pink one for years since it tended to be a fast grower. The white one had more of a lateral spread than a vertical growth, but it is time to prune.

I have a question for the two of you - have you ever successfully rooted any of your tree peony cuttings? I have just stuck the stems in some potting mix every now and then, but would always forget to keep the soil moist so the cuttings die. If I know that they can be rooted with a little care, I may make more of an effort.

I just last fall took a tree peony grafting class and removed the tarp I had them planted underneath to see 7 of ten grafts actually made it. I will hopefully post pictures later as they develop. So it is a tree peony scion grafted to a herbacious rootstock. The class was through our local peony society. I can see if I can dig up the info from the fall if you are interested. Quite amazed at my results.

I would love that information, Tracey. So I will have to have some herbaceous rootstock to do this. Any particular variety?

This is a generic explanation of grafting tree peonies. Tracey may have a better hands on approach.

http://www.peonies.org/graftin...

Thanks, Jerry, for the information. I need instructions with drawings so those are great. Sounds complicated, though......but I may try it one day.

Tracey - looking forward to seeing your photos.

Lovely ones, Dianne.
I got two tiny ones, possibly same kind and probably pink (if the labels they came with are correct).
Grafting them sounds like fun.
I should have lots of roots (from the herbaceous ones) I only need to find some scions around here.
You should give it a try. IF you look at the pics and read carefully the instructions you will agree it's no science.
I say this, and I've never grafted anything!
:)

Another explanation of TP grafting.

http://crickethillgarden.wordp...

I attended the class just to get information. Since I tend to be a better learner with hands on approach. It seems like the wedge method was the method that was recommended in my class. When I do it this late summer again, I will try to post step by step in time for you to do it, if my information and pictures help you.

It's been really wet here. I'll get pictures as they advance. Hoping they continue to grow

As far as root stock, I have heard 'Early Scout' to be good, but any root that grows well would be good. You don't need a super big piece to get it going. I would recommend a cheap herbacious peony No digging the rare or expensive to do this project, not worth it.

Jerry - great article. Thank you so much for that. I will have to review all the information again later since this brain is like a sieve. I did catch the part where summer cuttings CAN be successful given the right conditions - I may do that too.

Tracey - step by step pictures will be most wonderfully appreciated. I can follow along here in CA

I bought a couple of Costco peonies - single pinks, which grows very well and fast, so much that I have been meaning to thin out this past winter, but did not. Those will be my "sacrificial" roots/plants for this experiment.

Following along with you will give me the incentive I need to tackle this project.

Tracey's and your progress reports and pictures would be a welcomed addition to the routine info exchanges on this peony forum. A lot of practical experiences are on the iris forums but none on the peony group.

I have another question regarding tree peonies - Has anyone successfully moved a tree peony? I tried moving one about 8 years ago because it was hidden in the rear of the garden as other things grew around it. I thought I had dug a big eough hole, but when I was pulling it out, the main tap root snapped. I replanted it, and it almost looked like it is going to live in the beginning, but it never came back the next year.

I have another tree peony in the same predicament. It was towards the front of a flower bed with lawn in front. I have dug up the lawn, and made the whole area a garden. So, that tree peony, probably a Kinkaku, is hidden.. Should I try moving it?

It is still a few weeks away from blooming, but here is a picture from a prior year.


I would hate to have it die in the process, but it is pretty much out of sight where it is. It is a later bloomer because it is in a fairly shady spot.