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Peony (Festiva Maxima) Perennial - Zone 3 to 8. The best smelling flower ever! One flower will fill a 12X12 ft room with a very nice scent. More then one in a room is too much of a good thing! Ornamental, Herbaceous Perennial

Paeonia lactiflora - Dancing butterfly
HZ 3-8. Color: Pink with Yellow Stamens.
 

Planting tips.

PEONIES are usually sold as bare-root tubers with three to five eyes.

The best planting time for peonies is in the fall: in late September and October in most of the USA, and even later in the South (If you move an established plant, this is the time.). Peonies should be settled into place before the first hard frost.

Dig a generous-sized hole, about two feet deep and two feet across in well-drained soil in a sunny location. If the soil is heavy or very sandy, improve it with compost. Include about one cup of  bone meal into the soil. Tamp it firmly.

Set the root so the eyes face upward on top of the firmed soil, placing the root less than  two inches below the soil surface. (In some southern states, plant them about an inch deep, and provide some shade.). Then backfill the hole, taking care that the soil doesn't settle and bury the roots deeper than two inches. Water thoroughly.

A common problem of  peonies is the failure to bloom. It may be the result of:

• planting too deeply

• immature plants

• excess nitrogen

• inadequate sunlight

• overcrowding

• phosphorus and/or potassium deficiency

• insect or disease problems

• competition from roots of nearby plants

• late freezes

Provided as information only.
Copyrighted © 2005-2008 world wide all rights reserved by Dieter L Pietryka.

Date this page was last modified 03/24/08