Planting Peonies at My Farm
Come spring I'll have even more spectacular peonies blooming than ever before here at my Bedford, New York farm.
I simply adore peonies and have been growing them for quite some time. I have a long tree peony border planted under the semi-shade of giant sugar maples at one corner of the property. I have a giant bed completely dedicated to pink and white herbaceous peonies just across the carriage road from my home. I have tree peonies and Itoh peonies planted in the formal sunken garden behind my Summer House. And last week, we planted 75 bare root peony divisions in what will be my new cutting garden - my former vegetable garden adjacent to my chickens. These varieties will thrive here at Cantitoe Corners.
Enjoy these photos.
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- Many of you will remember this as my vegetable garden. This past summer, after planting my new raised bed vegetable garden closer to my home, I used this space to grow our pumpkins and squashes. Once that crop was harvested, I decided it would be a perfect cutting garden, where I could grow neat and tidy rows of gorgeous flowers. Here it is all cleared and tilled – not once…
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- … but twice. This is my outdoor grounds crew foreman, Chhiring Sherpa, rototilling the area earlier this season.
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- And if you follow my blog, you probably know my giant herbaceous peony garden where I grow hundreds of beautiful pink, blush, cream, and white peonies. I knew I wanted my cutting garden to also have gorgeous peonies.
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- The peony is any plant in the genus Paeonia, the only genus in the family Paeoniaceae. They are native to Asia, Europe, and Western North America. Peonies are one of the best-known and most dearly loved perennials – not surprising considering their beauty, trouble-free nature, and longevity.
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- The leaves of herbaceous peonies are pointed with a shiny, deep green color.
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- Peony blooms range from simple blossoms to complex clusters with a variety of petal forms. Here at my farm, the herbaceous peony garden is abloom during the first week of June. one of the most anticipated sights on the farm.
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- Back in the new cutting garden, the first step is to measure out the space. Ryan does this so he can calculate the proper spacing for the peonies.
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- Ryan then places bright colored landscape twine where the peonies will be planted. Since this is now a planned cutting garden, the flowers will be planted in rows and sections by variety.
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- Each hole is dug in moist soil that is deep enough to accommodate the entire bare root division.
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- These peonies are planned for both sides of the center footpath. Each hole is measured precisely and marked. Herbaceous peonies grow two to four feet tall with sturdy stems and blooms that can reach up to 10-inches wide.
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- As the holes are being dug, Ryan sprinkles a generous amount of fertilizer. We’re using Azomite – a natural product mined from ancient mineral deposits that contain more than 70 trace elements and minerals. It is used as a remineralizer to improve root systems, yields, and increase plant vigor. We also add triple super phosphate fertilizer which is excellent for gardens and outdoor plants.
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- I ordered 75 peonies from Hollingsworth Peony Farm, a registered peony grower and hybridizer in Skidmore, Missouri. Each peony root division, or “start” is packed in moist sphagnum peat moss for protection during transport.
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- Bare root peonies do best when planted in the fall. Ryan organizes the peonies by color and form. These divisions are cut from plants that are at least four years old, so these are programmed to flower in the first year. These divisions include pink, white, and yellow colored peonies. The varieties include ‘Amalia Olson,’ ‘Angela Jo,’ ‘Belleville,’ ‘Command Performance,’ ‘Doreen,’ ‘Gena Marie,’ ‘Grace Batson,’ ‘Heather,’ ‘Henry Sass,’ ‘Judith Eileen,’ ‘LaDonna,’ ‘Largo,’ ‘Lumiere,’ ‘Margaret Truman,’ ‘Mary Elizabeth,’ ‘Mother’s Choice,’ ‘Mr. Ed,’ ‘My Love,’ ‘Nelda’s Joy,’ ‘Philomele,’ ‘Queen of Hamburg,’ ‘Raspberry Delight,’ ‘Spring Sun,’ ‘Stellar Charm,’ ‘Vivid Rose,’ and ‘Lauren.’
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- Ryan creates a marker for each division, so we can identify all the varieties and know which ones do best in this garden.
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- The division is carefully placed into the hole – deep enough so the bottom of the shoot buds, also called the “eyes” will be at least two inches under the soil line.
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- Byron ensures the roots are faced downward and outward for best growth, and that the buds are facing up.
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- Then he carefully backfills the hole, so it is lightly packed and all the parts of the division are fully covered.
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- Byron also checks that the peony remains at the right depth, especially when watered. A layer of compost will also cover the area to protect the young planting from frost.
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- Here, Byron and Ernesto work together in a production line fashion – as one holds the plant in place, the other fills the hole with soil.
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- Now all the peonies are planted. One of the reasons peonies do so well here at my farm is because of the soil. It has a pH of 6.5 to 7.0, which is ideal. Peonies also prefer full sun and do even better with light midday shade and protection from strong winds.
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- A marker is inserted into the soil next to each peony.
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- Lastly, Byron rakes over the row of planted peonies so it is neat and tidy. Hopefully all these plants will be bursting with color next May. When properly planted and cared for, these fragrant specimens can live for 100 years or even more.
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