I just received my first peonies. They were purchased from Hollingsworth/ Cubits. To my unknowing eye, they all look wonderful. Solid roots, 8 to 12 inches long. I dug my holes when I put in a new garden earlier this summer, and the holes have been 'waiting' ever since.

I will be planting them this weekend. Any suggestions will be appreciated.

I have Bartzella, Coral Sunset and Hot Chocolate. I am really excited about them. Any chance they will bloom next season, or do I have to be more patient?

Thanks for all comments and suggestions, I could certainly use them! ~Jan

Hi Jan.

Planting them so the eyes are 2 inches below the soil is the proper depth for your area. Dig a very large hole. I mix in quite a bit of compost in with the soil and make sure you have a place with good drainage, water in well after planting. Do not plant too deep, they will not grow and bloom if you do. The peonies coming from Don Hollingsworth's Nursery usually bloom for me the first year after planting. They are the best root stock around.

The choices you made are great too. You should have some great looking peonies in years to come. Just remember to give them room to fill in, they will improve every year and get larger and more blooms. They are patience plants, but just you wait, in a few years they will truly knock your socks off.

You'll have to show us pictures next spring when they come up. You have chosen some of my very favorite peonies

Thanks! I gave them lots of room in this new bed, so they can grow as big as they desire. Now I just need to figure out which one to plant where! ~ Jan

Planted, composted & watered. The only problem I had was the large tree root growing in the deepest hole. I ended up switching two, one that had smaller roots. Odd, as this is a raised bed put in fresh this year, this root must be very shallow. I had no way to remove it, so I worked around it. As the leaves fall, they wil be mulched for the winter. Thanks for the help ~Jan

Are you planting under a tree? or next to a tree? What kind of tree?

It is a Maple tree about 30 - 40 feet away, This is a south facing raised garden (1ft) I put in this year, and it stays sunny from morning until evening. I also have daylilies in this garden, which seem very happy. ~Jan

Are you out from under the canopy of the Maple? Maples are notorious for having roots that choke out everything under it.

Yes. I am not underneath the tree. There have been other trees in the front yard that have been removed in past years, this could be one of their roots too. In fact this bed was built on top of where a pine tree used to be. As mentioned, it is a raised bed also, and has some of my prized (ie, more expensive!) daylilies in it, so I am careful with the watering needs, etc.

I would love to remove this maple, but it sits smack dab next to the street. I live on a cul-de-sac, and this maple tree causes the snow plow drivers to pile the snow on the other side of that tree in my yard, therefor protecting my front yard.

On the other hand, perhaps I will move that particular plant, and put it in a different location in the bed. I still have open spots that were predug for other plants, and for various reasons not filled yet. In fact there is a spot directly opposite from where that plant is now..... Thanks for making me think there were other options. I had planned all summer to put these Peonies where I had planned, that I had tunnel vision and didn't even consider other possibilities. ~Jan

Please post pictures of your gardens. And post pictures of your peonies next spring!

will do. If the weather clears up, I will try to get some photos tomorrow. ~Jan

Need some help with my new peonies can I put in pots and if so what size. They can overwinter in my greenhouse and go outdoors in spring.I have read that they can live in pots and do well anyone hear growing in pots. The main thing right now if the size of the pot. Hope some one has some answers.

Peonies need a certain amount of below freezing days for good blooms. Is there a reason why you are considering putting them in your greenhouse?

No reason I guess I wasnt thinking about them needing freezing temp. Most of what I have are in the ground.Tthese new ones I thought I would try in pots, just need to know what size if anyone has put any of theirs in pots.

Peonies will get a pretty massive root mass as they age. I'd probably skip the pots and put them directly into the ground.

We had a long discussion about potting peonies and it was generally concluded it is best to plant them in the ground. I have had one year potted peonies, overwintered in a semi-heated garage, and they just appeared to be anemic as compared to in-ground plants. Same thing with irises. Mine did bloom a couple of weeks early but weakly. You will need a large pot, something like 2 to 3 feet in diameter and 2 feet deep if you want to keep them potted more than a couple of years. I always recommend 1/2 whiskey barrels which can sometimes be found in garden centers and some big box stores. They are made of white oak and charred in the inside. Lets a plant breathe better than plastic pots.

Peonies need about 10 weeks of chilling to flower.