New Peony Project

              This past winter we added another 40 peony plants to our supply. I selected two new (to us) varieties to include more colors, yellow and white. Both Sunny Girl and Duchess de Nemours are early blooming varieties. Early blooming is a requirement in the Columbia area and all zone 8 regions. They bloom before the end of May, when the warmth makes them go dormant.

We plant bare roots, so they won’t be productive until their third bloom season. They are far more affordable than potted plants and transplant easily. Bigger roots produce more flowers sooner, but they will all produce by the third year. The one shown is Sunny Girl and they are huge. They are priced accordingly.

 We use raised beds for our peonies. Peonies need cool weather to grow properly. Planting them in a raised bed keeps them cooler since the air can chill the above ground soil better than planting in the ground. The beds are in full sun.

 A raised bed can be made with mounded dirt and no boards, but we use these for ease of harvest. If you are planting these at home, you can use a pot (at least 24” in diameter). If you have a retaining wall, the soil behind it is elevated too, making it a good spot.

We had a week to get this done to beat three days of rain that would have made it much more difficult.  The first day we got the supplies to the farm. The second day we built the frames. They are set right on the grass since the soil will smother it. We put hardware cloth in the bottom of the beds to deter moles and voles.

The next effort was to fill the beds with soil. We mixed topsoil and mushroom compost together. Any compost with pine bark (most of them) should be avoided. The bark carries something that the peonies are vulnerable to. Mushroom compost works well. The fertilizers were also mixed into the soil at this point. This part took two days.

The last day’s effort included laying the irrigation, planting the roots and mulching. In our climate, the roots need to be planted just one inch below the top of the soil. This will also help keep the plants cool. We mulch with coastal hay. This forms a weed barrier and breaks down easily, providing a little nutrition to the soil. 

Whew! We made it before the rain. Now, the test of patience before they bloom. Green plants will come up this spring. They may even have a bud or two on them. We will pinch them off. The goal is the get the best root system established before they really put a lot of energy into blooms. This will result in a much stronger plant. Since they can live for 30 years, it is important to give them a good start.

If you are growing peonies, I would love to hear how you care for them.