DOES NOT NEED A LOT OF PEONY COLD HOURS TO BLOOM
Each packet will contain 1 Peony root 3-5 eyes size, imported from Holland.
NB - PLEASE SOAK AND PLANT THE SAME DAY.
Peonies are perennials that come back every year to take your breath away. In fact, the plants may live longer than you do. Some have been known to thrive for a 100 years!
CLIMATE
Peonies do best where winters are long and very cold. They can handle negative winter temperatures, snow, frost and will thrive in temperatures between 2'C and 5'C for 30-60 days in the winter.
Peonies that bloom mid to late season may survive in warm areas, but they are unlikely to flower profusely and dependably. It is the best to choose an early flowering variety, that needs less cold units if you live in a warmer area.
The leaves and stems of your peony will eventually die back as the plants go dormant for the winter. The leaves will start to deteriorate, and the stems will fall to the ground and turn mushy. This is natural.
Herbaceous peonies are tender-stemmed plants that die back naturally in fall and regrow again in spring. Cutting back the dead stems to the ground in the fall helps prevent insects and diseases and makes the garden look tidy.
Peonies grow in areas with cold winters, such as the Highveld, eastern Free State, KZN Midlands and higher inland parts of the Western Cape in Southern Africa.
PLANTING
The same day you receive your roots, submerge roots in room temperature water for 20 minutes to an hour. This is to prevent your roots from drying out. Herbaceous peony roots should be planted in well drained sandy soil.
Peonies need a location where they’ll receive full sun in the morning and even in the afternoon, but light shade is welcome/a must, especially in hot areas. The planting depth of your peony roots is critical to flower production. The root should be about 1cm – 3cm below the soil level, with eyes facing up. The planting depth is very important, if planted too deep your peony will produce foliage but not flowers. In hot areas plant 1-2 cm deep and in colder areas 2-3cm deep. After planting, soak the soil generously to settle it around the root.
If you are going to plant your root in a pot, please note, that it needs to be a very large pot.
Find a location where the soil drains well. Peonies dislike waterlogged soil. To improve drainage, add peat, perlite and coarse sand.
Peonies grow about 90cm – 120cm high, so plant your bulbs at least 50 – 70cm apart
WATERING
Newly planted peony roots should be KEPT MOIST AT ALLE TIMES. In dry conditions, they may need to be watered more frequently. Watering the new roots will help them to get established in the soil and get them off to a good start. Water the peony at least twice weekly for the first year or two after planting.
FERTILIZING
Peonies should be fed twice a year, once after they emerge in the spring, then again midway through the growing season (about 3 months after the first feeding) to build strong roots before winter comes.
BLOOMING TIME
Like children, young peonies take time to develop. They usually need a few years to establish themselves, bloom and grow.
Peonies bloom from late Spring through early summer, depending on the variety of peony you are growing. We offer early, midseason and late blooming varieties, making it possible for you to stretch out the peony season. If you are in doubt about whether your area is cold enough, select the earlier flowering varieties.
The first year most Peony plants will produce 1-2 flowers. The plant will double in size every year and so will the production of flowers. You can expect anything between 6 – 18 flowers per peony plant from a mature plant.