Peonies don't grow here in Alabama, so treasure yours if you can grow them! They are one of the things you will miss most if you move away from peony
country--along with lilacs and tulips.

I treasure them very much. One of the best times of year in my garden. Maybe you should take a spring trip north during bloom time, especially if you love them and haven't seen them in a while. Just a thought. They grow nicely in Missouri, not too far

i have to be satisfied with pictures from my sister's garden back home in N. Michigan. I think a lot of people think they will have better weather when they move South, only to wind up being homesick for peonies, lilacs, tulips, the tapestry of fall colors, and even a chance to see a Mom and baby bear in the woods. Of course there;s lots to enjoy in the South, but peonies, Not!

Great tutorial magnolialover!

Hazelnut, what zone in Alabama are you in? I have been able to grow peonies successfully here in GA, in zone 7a-7b. They do really well here.

Annette

Zone 8 -- the Gulf Coast.

Ok, thanks for letting me know. I know they need at least 400 hours of chill time during the winter, guess zone 8 doesn't get that. Keep an eye on the peonies forum during the spring, some folks post their beautiful blooms.

Annette

I read that some out of zone people dump ice on their peonies to meet the chill factor. Well. We don't have peonies or tulips. But we do have camellias.

Hazelnut - I am in zone 9a here in California and have good luck with both tree peonies and herbaceous ones. We get maybe 10-14 days of freezing temp, but that seems to be enough for the ones that I have. I have about 50 different varieties, and they normally bloom. A few skip a year here and there, but the tree peonies bloom every year.

Have you tried before and not been successful?

I did grow peonies in San Jose and back home in N. Michigan. They just don't do well in the humid South. Yes One year I found a special and planted about 30 peonies of different kinds. They never flourished, although roses do fine if they have good drainage. It sometimes rains here every day in summer, and temps hover at 100 degrees F. I finally dug them up and my sister replanted them in N. Michigan. Last I heard they are doing fine to this day, although many were lost in the transition. Peonies are not for the sub-tropics.

Peonies can grow in zone 8-10, many people have successful did so and below are some instructions:

https://crickethillgarden.word...
http://hollingsworthpeonies.co...

In summary, the main points perhaps are: (1)select early flower cultivars and tree peonies. (2) plant shallow for herbaceous peonies (3) cut leaves in autumn to force dormancy.

hazelnut said:I did grow peonies in San Jose and back home in N. Michigan. They just don't do well in the humid South. Yes One year I found a special and planted about 30 peonies of different kinds. They never flourished, although roses do fine if they have good drainage. It sometimes rains here every day in summer, and temps hover at 100 degrees F. I finally dug them up and my sister replanted them in N. Michigan. Last I heard they are doing fine to this day, although many were lost in the transition. Peonies are not for the sub-tropics.