PEONY BAREROOTS MUST BE PLANTED INTO THE GROUND, THEY WILL NOT SURVIVE IN DECORATIVE CONTAINERS. Growing Zones 3 thru 9 only

Plant Guarantee

We take pride in our peony bareroots. Each variety is different and grows at different rates. Free of any plant diseases. We do not assure the plants will live and grow for you the way they do for us. There are too many circumstances beyond our control such as soil condition, planting placement, sun, water, how long it was in the container. It is your responsibility to plant following our suggested planting instruction.

Planting Your New Peony Plant

*Peonies can grow in many different types of soil.  Well-drained with full sun  (8 hours) are the most important. *

Item's Needed before planting:

"Good" top soil/compost mix, shovel, water can/hose

*“Good” topsoil is clean topsoil from your garden/bed with no clay or rocks.  You can add amendments to enrich your soil. Starting now with good soil will help your new plant to perform better in the future.

These are not required but can help new plantings (Garden Lime, Bone Char/Bone Meal, Azomite)

In Ohio the South facing side of your property is the warmest, with the North being the coldest.  Although peonies will grow on the north side.  Choose your new planting area accordingly to get the best results

Step 1: Prepare your site for your new plant: Do not plant by your AC unit, Dryer vent or any other exterior vent on your home.

1.       Peonies need full sun, well drained soil and good air flow

2.       Dig a hole longer & deeper than the bareroot and remove any rocks or clay clumps from the site

3.       Add a few inches of "good soil" back in the bottom of the hole but leave enough room for your bareroot. When you cover the bareroot you do not want more than 2" of soil on top. Make sure not to have any air bubbles in the soil. So you will make a larger hole, fill it in with a good soil mix, place the bareroot with the red eyes towards the top (sky) and then 2" of soil to cover. Your bareroot should have at least 1 visible eye (Circled below in red), all our bareroots have at least 2-3 but not all may be visible.

4.       Remove any weeds on the surface of the soil

Step 2: Planting your peony:

1.       It's important to plant your new peony at 2" below soil level.

*(Peonies planted too deep will cause your plant not to grow properly or may not survive) *

2.       One your bareroot is in the new hole, mix equal parts of topsoil or a compost mix with the original soil and fill 50%around the plant

3.       Add 1/2 cup of minerals and mix with the remaining soil if you have them

4.       Finish filling in soil around the new plant(s).  Lightly push soil down around the new planting area then finish filling in around the plant with your remaining soil.  Lightly push down soil but not to compact.  *Soil will settle and may need to add a little later. *

5.       Sprinkle the remaining 1/2 cup of minerals in a circle around the planting surface but not directly over the crown of the bareroot and lightly mix with your fingers

6.       Hardwood mulch is not recommended as it too acidic for the plant crown. PLEASE DO NOT MULCH. Mulching can cause disease and prevent your plant from surviving.

Step 3: Watering:

1.       You will want to water the plant evenly

2.       Repeat with watering with a low volume to get a good soak, but not to wash away the additional soil that may have been applied.  Add soil if any washed away from watering or rain

3.       How Often: You will need to water your peony once a week during the warm/hot weather, especially if it hasn't rained. If rain is frequent and the ground looks wet, you can skip watering during those times.

4.       A good way to tell if your plant is wet enough is to put your finger into the soil and an inch or two. When you pull you finger out and soil stick to your finger then it has moisture or you can feel it being wet.  Peonies do not like to have too much water or have standing water around them. This can cause your plant to die

General Maintenance

1.       Keep your peony weed free around the base

2.       Peonies are known to have Botrytis, which is a fungus/rot. We recommend regularly using an organic fungicide spray from April thru June for the best results, during the growing season. You can get this from any garden store or even on Amazon. Search for a Broad Spectrum Fungicide.

3.       Late Summer: Once your blooms are done for the year they will have expired flowers, some look like seed pods.  These can be cut off below the pod and discarded. Any blooms that did not open/bloom can be cut off at the base of the bloom as well. This happens so do not be worried! Leave as many leaves on the plant as possible to help build energy for next year

4.       It takes about 3 years for the peony plant to produce blooms.

5.       Watering!

*These directions are guidelines but not a guarantee that your plant will survive/perform where you plant it.  We urge you to ask us questions for recommendations on how to get the best out of your plant* We suggest before you assume a peony plant is dead to reach out with photos to redtwigfarmsohio@gmail.com and let us work with you and see what could be the issue.

FUTURE INSTRUCTIONS WHEN PEONY PLANT IS ESTABLISHED:

Step 4: "Dead Heading" the Blooms:

Late Summer: Once your blooms are done for the year they will have expired flowers, some look like seed pods.  These can be cut off below the pod and discarded. Any blooms that did not open/bloom can be cut off at the base of the bloom as well. This happens so do not be worried! Leave as many leaves on the plant as possible to help build energy for next year

Step 5: Fall Cut Back/Winter Over Tips:***MUST

1.       In the Fall, once the first frost has hit and the foliage of your peony plant has browned out (may be crispy), it is time to cut the foliage off for the year

2.       Cut the stocks of the season off leaving 1-2 inches above the plant crown. The red tips are the “eyes" which is next year’s blooms. Be careful not to cut them or step on them or the crown. Do not store anything heavy/solid on top of the plant other than light organic matter listed below

3.       Apply a thin layer of leaves or leaf compost to cover the plant crown "top". A few inches (1-2") is plenty. This protects the plant from the cold Ohio winters.  Hardwood mulch is not recommended as it too acidic for the plant crown

4.       The new stems for the year will grow through the cover layer.  You should not need to remove it unless it is too deep