Hello! I'm very new to growing peonies (I have two Sarah Bernhardt's and one Pillow Talk on their way in the mail from Michigan Bulb!) and I've been doing a lot of reading about how to take care of these babies so they will hopefully last me for years! I will be moving around a couple times over the next few years for school, mostly in the Northeast, which is why I'm planning on growing mine in pots so I can bring them with me. I'm currently in southern Maine!

I'm having a little trouble finding some more information on how to take care of potted peonies specifically (probably since they do better in the actual ground!), but I was wondering whether I should leave them outside/in our garage this winter so they get enough cold? Last winter did get into the single digits, so I'm a little concerned about freezing the plant, but I think it would be too warm in the main area of the house. I'm also not sure how much I would have to water them and whether they care about getting sunlight during this time. Most resources say to just leave them alone in the winter, but I figure if it's in a garage by itself, it might need a little more TLC.

Any advice or suggestions where I can read more would be much appreciated!!

Hannah! Did you read the thread Growing in Pots? I am growing three woody peonies in pots.

As far as growing herbaceous in pots, I think they would do better in your garage over the winter as it would be more normal the roots. They say growing in a pot puts them in one zone colder. So your 5b would be a 4b for a peony in a pot.

I do not advise keeping the potted roots indoors as they do need chill hours to perform properly.

I hope Liz and Anya will chime in with advice, too as they are both in cold zones.

In order to increase your chances for blooms, your peonies should get around 400 hours of temps at or below 40 degrees Fahrenheit. I'd work towards not allowing the peonies to get below 30 to 28 degrees when you are chilling them. If you get snowfall, you can pack some snow on the surface soil and allow the melt to water them.

You can find a ground thermometer on Amazon and elsewhere and once you've done a couple of checks, you'll quickly develop a feel for how often you need to check the temps. You'll find that the temps are slow to change and that getting down to freezing and then returning the peonies to a cool garage can result in 12+ hours of temps below 40.

Once you get the 400 hours in, you can just leave the peonies in the garage and allow them to grow their root system. In a garage, there is a good chance that they'll push stems up early if your indoor temps are above 48 degrees. You may want to have a grow light to help them out if they push stems up early; the stems really need light and you can get warped year-long leaves if you are unable to give them enough light.

EDIT: most of my experience comes from over-wintered bagged peonies. The recommendation to leave them outdoors would be a lot simpler.

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I'd say I'd you're zone 6 or higher leave it outside! I have a lot in my garage as we're moving my garden and am in 4b now, they won't survive in pots outside (I've tried!). I water them every couple of weeks now and it gets less frequently as it gets colder, opposite as it warms in the spring. It works but it's not optimal. Works in an unheated garage or storage room, I wouldn't try them inside the house at all.

I lost many peonies in pots because did not get them inside early enough. I did not know the trick to bury them that time. If they stay the whole winter in pots the easiest way is to bury them. I am till waiting for my order from Peony Shop (Holland) and I think this time they will arrive when the soil is frozen so I have to plant them on pots so they will go to a workshop. I kept potted peonies there during winter a few time so this works pretty good, The only thing is to keep them in dark and in cold (above the freezing point or slightly warmer). I water them a little 4-5 times before April when the temperatures are above freezing and I can put them outside. Good luck!

Thank you all so much for the advice! Sounds like I should grab a thermometer to monitor things since this is my first time.. I might experiment a little too and see how one works inside the garage and outside in a shady area.

@LG I had not come across that post yet but will definitely check it out!

@anya When you say to bury them do you mean dig a hole in the ground a drop the whole pot inside? I hadn't considered that but it sounds interesting to try out!

Sarah Bernhardt require staking when in bloom. Lots and lots of staking.
Mine grow inside a mesh tube with a piece of rebar as reinforcement (think a poor man's tomato cage) with the flowers coming out from the top.

ElPolloDiablo, do you have a picture of your Sarah Bernhardt with this support?

Hannah, yes, if the pot is in the ground (just make sure there is no space between soil and the pot wall), the roots does not freeze-thaw depending on the temperature fluctuations. The peony will overwinter the same way as planted on the ground. This is the easiest way, you don't need to check on it during the winter, if the temperature is OK and if the soil in not too wet/ too dry.

anyagoro said:ElPolloDiablo, do you have a picture of your Sarah Bernhardt with this support?

Hannah, yes, if the pot is in the ground (just make sure there is no space between soil and the pot wall), the roots does not freeze-thaw depending on the temperature fluctuations. The peony will overwinter the same way as planted on the ground. This is the easiest way, you don't need to check on it during the winter, if the temperature is OK and if the soil in not too wet/ too dry.

They are not in bloom anymore and they are getting ugly now, but I'll take a few picture this evening and post them later.

Thank you all so much for the advice! Sounds like I should grab a thermometer to monitor things since this is my first time.. I might experiment a little too and see how one works inside the garage and outside in a shady area.

@LG I had not come across that post yet but will definitely check it out!

@anya When you say to bury them do you mean dig a hole in the ground a drop the whole pot inside? I hadn't considered that but it sounds interesting to try out!

I am trying to over winter roses and burying the pots in the ground was the advice I was given from a number of pros. Dig soon enough that the soil will settle around the pot well. (That's my problem at least.)

@anyagoro, here are a couple of pictures: I uploaded them yesterday evening but then spent way too long on the phone and headed straight to bed.





This is just a piece of ordinary plastic mesh tied with steel wire, and a piece of rebar hammered into the ground to keep the whole contraption straight.
It's basically all stuff I had laying about and put to work.

Next year I will build a similar, but much larger, cage with steel mesh for the ancient Fall mums we have in the garden since they are extra-tall and get squashed the moment there's a light rain. Why I did not think of it before...

I use that plastic mesh around my blueberry bushes in an effort to keep the rabbits from chewing their stems.

Thank for sharing, El Pollo.

ElPolloDiablo, thank you for the pictures! The support looks a little tight, not much air flow for the stems. Good idea to make it larger. I tried similar thing this summer but with a metal wide chicken wire (Frank's idea), it worked fine but next year I will do it higher.