{"id":2984,"date":"2019-09-27T00:08:32","date_gmt":"2019-09-27T07:08:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/depts.washington.edu\/hortlib\/pal\/pal-question-610\/"},"modified":"2023-08-08T15:10:53","modified_gmt":"2023-08-08T22:10:53","slug":"ideal-time-to-plant-tree-peonies","status":"publish","type":"pal","link":"https:\/\/depts.washington.edu\/hortlib\/pal\/ideal-time-to-plant-tree-peonies\/","title":{"rendered":"Ideal time to plant tree peonies"},"content":{"rendered":"

I was given a tree peony in a container. It even has a couple of buds.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Can I plant it in the ground in spring, or must I wait until fall? How should I prepare the soil for planting?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Expert opinions vary on the importance of waiting until fall
\nto plant tree peonies, or Paeonia suffruticosa<\/em>. The Sunset
\nWestern Garden Book<\/em> (2007) says “All peonies are best
\nset out in fall”, while The Gardener’s Guide to
\nGrowing Peonies<\/em> suggests that if peonies are planted
\nin spring, the gardener must be very careful to water
\nthem well in dry weather that first summer. Of course,
\nwatering will still be an issue if your gift remains in
\nthe pot all summer! Also, this same source says in an excerpt:<\/p>\n

Tree peonies usually become available in the early
\nspring and…have small flowers. While it is very
\ntempting to allow the plants to flower, this can
\nconsiderably weaken a young tree peony. The buds are,
\ntherefore, best removed…and the shoot pruned to leave
\nthree or four leaves… Tree peonies are normally
\nsold…in pots…with a peat-based compost. This is a
\nsuitable medium for transport, but the plants can
\ndeteriorate if they are not planted out fairly quickly
\ninto normal soil. … In the autumn, it can be dug
\nup…and planted correctly in its permanent home.<\/em><\/p>\n

I don’t know about you, but I wouldn’t be willing to
\nnip off those little buds! The “heeling in” practice, which
\ninvolves planting the peony temporarily, might work though.
\nOrganic Gardening<\/em> magazine published an article on this
\nsubject, from which you can read an excerpt:<\/p>\n

To heel them in, choose a sheltered, shady site and dig a V-shaped
\ntrench. Make the trench wide and deep enough to accommodate the plants’
\nroots and long enough to prevent crowding. Place the plants in the trench
\nat an angle, making sure the roots are below ground level. Refill the
\ntrench with soil (don’t pack it down) and water the plants thoroughly.
\nCheck the soil moisture occasionally and water as needed. “You can leave
\nplants heeled in for months, but I would suggest holding them that way
\nonly for a few weeks,” says Amy Grotta, extension faculty in forestry
\neducation at Washington State University. “You don’t want them to break
\ndormancy before planting.” Plants that come out of dormancy early are
\nsusceptible to frost damage, so plant as soon as possible to prevent
\nharming your new purchases.<\/em><\/p>\n

Directions for preparing the soil are very consistent
\nin different literature: your tree peony will need a
\nsunny site with rich soil, and “Tree peonies benefit
\nfrom the application of a heavy layer of
\ncompost–particularly if they are grown in sandy soil”
\n(says Martin Page in The Gardener’s Guide to Growing
\nPeonies<\/em>). At least several days before planting, you
\nshould dig a hole at least one foot in diameter, and up
\nto 3 feet in diameter, and amend the soil as needed in
\nthat planting hole. Unlike herbaceous peonies, tree
\npeonies are planted 6 inches deep (that is, with the
\ngraft union 6 inches deep).<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I was given a tree peony in a container. It even has a couple of buds. Can I plant it in the ground in spring, or must I wait until fall? How should I prepare the soil for planting? Expert opinions vary on the importance of waiting until fall to plant tree peonies, or Paeonia suffruticosa. The Sunset Western Garden Book (2007) says “All peonies are best set out in fall”, while The Gardener’s Guide to Growing Peonies suggests that…<\/p>\n

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