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Planting and Care of Peonies: Fall/ Bareroot Important Things peonies need: 
• 6 or more hours of sun during day. • Good drainage • Shallow planting • Good air circulation • Prolonged winter chill Planting Zones: • Herbaceous Peonies: 2-8 • Tree peonies: 4-8 Unpack carefully and remove all tags from roots. Try to plant immediately or keep in cold, moist area (garage? barn?) until such time as you can plant. Bare root peonies should be planted in the fall. September thru early November is optimum although some growers make them available in the spring. These have been kept in cold storage through out the winter not allowing them the time to establish their feeder roots to support the growth of leaves in spring leaving the plant unbalanced and probably in shock. 
Given time they should be fine. Peonies should always be planted where 6 or more hours of sun during the day is available, HOWEVER, in very hot areas light afternoon shade is recommended. Because gophers seem pretty much uninterested in peony roots (hooray!) no cage in needed. Deer also usually have little interest but there are rogue peony eating deer so keep an eye out for awhile. Sprays are available at your local nursery.
To plant dig a hole 1 1/2' to 2' deep then mix 1 cup bone meal with some well rotted steer manure and put in bottom. Put at least 4-6" of potting soil or dirt between manure and root to avoid burning new root growth. Place root system leggy side down with top eye (resemble potato eyes) no more then 2" from  surface. In warmer areas plant even a little shallower for as much exposure to winter cold as possible. Any deeper and the result will be lots of leaf growth but no flowers. Peonies also make fabulous container plants. Use large pots 16" or larger and follow previous planting instructions.
As to watering, peonies are one of the most drought resistant, once established, of the perennials but should be liberally watered often in the spring as this aids in preparing them for flowering. Peonies grown in containers however should be watered as often as any other plant.
To fertilize the following spring (after flowering) spread 3/4 cup or so of a low nitrogen fertilizer such as bulb food (tulip for instance) about 6-10" around plant and barely scratch into soil as roots are very near the surface. Plant peonies with 3 to 3 1/2" of space between each plant for proper air circulation. Peonies are almost bullet proof but one of the few things that can bring them down is fungal diseases, mostly botrytis which is commonly found in most soils. It usually shows itself just before bloom. Suddenly the leaves just seem to droop for no reason. This is the time to grab a copper based spray and use it. Thankfully, botrytis rearing its ugly head is pretty rare in the average garden. Other questions about this lovely, flamboyant flower can either be e-mailed to me or there are some wonderful books out now about peonies. The most helpful one for me has been "Peonies" by Allan Rogers. |