How to grow Peonies.
by
Reba Jenkins
+9
I work in a floral shop and we were gifted by a sweet customer peonies (lots of them) from her bushes. My question is one of the peonies was no longer any good and I had never seen what made a peony so I took it apart and in the middle was 2 little fuzzy things and I opened them and found what look like seeds. Are these little seeds where peony plants can be started and if so how?
10 answers
-
I don't think your peony seeds have matured to the point of viability, Reba, and even if so it is quite challenging to grow peonies from seeds. According to Ron Smith, a horticulturist with the North Dakota State University Extension Service, "It normally takes five to seven years to produce a flowering peony plant from seed. The propagation is complicated by what is known as “epicotyl dormancy.” What this means is that the seed needs to be sown in a moist medium at room temperature and, after the roots have developed, transplanted to pots placed in a cold room (40 to 50 degrees) or outdoors in winter for two and a half months. This overcomes the dormancy that exists in the shoot tip, which then should grow readily into a plant when moved into warmer temperatures. For that reason, many folks just divide their peonies!"
Douglas Hunt
on Jun 28, 2013
- See 1 previous
-
if you want to propagate peonees jut take some cuttings and stick um in the ground ! and Wa La you will have new bushes. Yes its that easy !
Karen powell
on Jun 28, 2013
-
I agree with Mr. Hunt, trying to grow peonies from seed is very challenging, it is best to just divide them. I have never taken a cutting and stuck it in the ground, I usually wait until the clump is large and divide by the roots. Good luck!
Kat
on Jun 29, 2013
-
I also just dig a piece of the peony off a grown plant and just stick it in the ground.......but it will take years for it to bloom..GOOD LUCK
Stephanie
on Jun 29, 2013
-
I only know root division. Karen you can take "cuttings"? I will try this today and we shall see!
Virginia
on Jun 29, 2013
-
Growing peonies from seeds and even growing them from cuttings takes years for the plant to bloom. Hardly worth the effort. My suggestion is to find a mature peony plant and split it into two or three smaller plants by digging it out and cutting the root mass into sections. Even then it may take a year or two for the plant to "feel comfortable" in it's new home and may not bloom. Even though they are very hardy, peonies are finicky about being moved.
Heather (New House New Home)
on Jun 29, 2013
-
this is so funny, I just saw some pod like pieces from the heads of my peonies that had finished their bloom. I never saw this before, so you answered a question that I didn't even voice.. thank you for your discussions.
Dawn Lam
on Jun 29, 2013
-
well the reason I know this .Is that when I moved some I had some pieces that were cut by the shovel and I stuck them in the ground and Wa La I had new plants . And yes I takes a long time for them to mature . It also a good Idea to naturlize your newly purchased plant where they are going to be planted . set them in place in there pots where they are going to be planted to let them aclimate .
Karen powell
on Jun 30, 2013
-
I will certainly treasure these hardy sprouts!
Bobbie larsen
on Dec 10, 2014
-
I have poked broken tips in the ground and wha la they grow like magic ! Nothing to it !
Karen powell
on Dec 14, 2014
Sign Up to Answer
