How to Plant Peonies

Plant peony roots in fall or spring with the eyes 1–2 inches deep, 3 feet apart. Deeper than 2 inches and they grow leaves but never flower.

How to Plant Peonies
When to plant
Fall or spring. Fall gives the strongest start; plant late August through October, about six weeks before the ground freezes. Plant spring roots as soon as the soil is workable
Depth
Eyes 1–2 inches below the soil surface, never deeper. Use 2 inches in zones 3–4, 1 inch in zones 5–7, and ½–1 inch in zones 8–9
Spacing
3–4 feet apart
Sun
At least 6 hours of direct sun
Water
Deeply every 7–10 days the first year, then rarely once established
Soil
Well-drained and rich in organic matter, pH 6.5–7.5

Step by step

  1. Pick a sunny, well-drained spot with room for a plant about 3 feet across, sheltered from strong wind but with air moving around it.
  2. Dig a generous hole, wider than the roots, and work aged compost into the bottom.
  3. Find the eyes (the small reddish buds on top of the root) and set the root so they sit 1–2 inches below the surrounding soil surface.
  4. Before you backfill, lay a straight stick across the hole to check the depth. This one measurement decides whether the plant ever blooms.
  5. Backfill, firm the soil gently, and water well.
  6. Mulch the first winter only in cold climates below minus 20°F with little snow cover, and pull the mulch back in spring.
  7. Expect leaves the first year and full flowering by year three; bareroot peonies build roots before flowers. A spring-planted root spends its first summer catching up, so give it an extra season before judging it.

After bloom

Deadhead each spent flower back to the first strong leaf. Leave every healthy leaf through summer and fall; cutting early thins out next year's blooms. After a hard frost kills the foliage, usually October or November, cut the stems to the ground. Bin or burn the debris rather than composting it; botrytis overwinters in old stems. Lift or divide only in fall and only when you must; moved peonies can sulk for a season or two.
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