A Gardeners Forum Forums Gardening Reference Gardening in 2007 Tree peonies

Can anyone fill me in on how your tree peonies began and have turned out? I have been drooling and dreaming about planting one. Finally ordered one. Would love advice on the what and wherefore's. I have read a lot but a real live experienced person would sure help.

I have 4 tree Peonies, 2 red and white, one dark pink and a yellow. I bought mine at local nurseries, so they were already growing in pots and probably a little larger than what you'd get through mail order. They are rather slow growing. It's taken 4 years for them to grow into a nice size with several blooms, and they are still growing. They all started out with only one or two blooms. They prefer some afternoon shade in well draining soil. You don't cut them back like herbaceous peonies...they form a small trunk like a tree that will branch out. You can cut back the dead wood at the tips.

Thank you for the advise. I plan to watch the shade issue. The particular place in our backyard I had planned to put it would be direct sun most of the day. Will need to move the planned planting area for shade after 3-4pm.

Congratulations on your purchase. I love peonies and would love to have a tree peony someday when I am rich and famous. Right now they are way out of my price range.

Alan you have a yellow one? That must have cost and arm and a leg. Do you mind if I ask what you paid for it? Not that I'm in any position to buy one no matter what the price.

I believe it was $30 at the nursery right down from where I live. About the same I paid for the others actually.

I dearly loves tree peonies and I'd love to have more of them... lots more, lol. There was one here when I moved here (it's pink), and I'm a'thinkin' that it's right around 9 or so years old now, and it is just gorgeous.... but, and too... I've also always been kinda worried about it as well, and cuz it gets full afternoon sun (it's right smack dab on the west side of me front deck)... and so I've also kinda wanted to move it too... but but but, I'm just waaaayyyy too chicken, lol... and well, it does seem to like it where it is to boot. Have any of you guys ever moved 'em... and if so... any hints that may help me to get over my being soooooo very chicken????

My friend had hers in full sun in Virginia zone 7a so I wouldn't be worried about it's placement. Also being close to the deck is probably giving it some of the protection it needs from spring winds. Which if you have anything like I have can really denude a bloom in no time if they aren't planted in a protected area.

... boy, thanks a bunches there tkhooper. If I had me druthers I'd rather not move it either... but... when I moved up here to the house of my dreams, lol, the people who lived here before were like not at all really gardeners, and in the sense that they went for the quick fix and/or most cost effective way for to fill in... and like I had two humongous way out of whack forsythias (like 12' high and 15' wide big, lol) that were planted way too close to me house (less than 3 feet no less, lol... and yikes!.. and they're now gone from this last year)... and then there 'was' rambling wild honeysuckle all over two sides of that very same deck (with this loverly tree peony almost lost in-between 'em... where and how they ever got that peony I'll never know, but... they did love it).. anyways... all of their gardening spaces extended like no more than 4 feet from the house, and since I've started playing around out there, lol... we are now at no less than 12 to 14 feet (and seemingly ever growing too, lol) out from the house and front and back decks. And so I am also sorta trying to also figure out a way, so that if I don't move it, it won't get lost in all the other plantings that are being added there... and since it's right on the west side... I'm also going for some smaller shade like trees there as well (a dwarf purple plum and a service berry). So I am trying me best not to have to move it.... well, and I really am chicken too (I am going to try some new starts this year as well, and keep me fingers crossed, lol)... have you ever moved one though?