Peonies

Peony - peony botanical drawing
@hcromer (2710)
United States
March 16, 2009 9:44am CST
I have a sudden new obsession with peonies lately... Please tell me anything about them that you can (how to start them, where the best place to buy them is, should I start them as seeds or buy the actual plant). I haven't been able to find seeds so I think that they might come in bulbs instead. Do you know of a good place online to find them?
1 person likes this
2 responses
@JABeau59 (446)
• United States
16 Mar 09
I love peonies! I alway think it is probably best to buy them locally so if you get a bad one, you can take it back. I buy mine at Lowe's. They guarantee their plants for a full year. I had to take back a couple of holly plants and they were very gracious and gave me replacements on the spot. Back to the Peonies. I have never seen seeds for them. I think you have to buy the root. I have a white, a pink, and a hot pink. They love sunny spots and actually will not flower if they do not have enough sun. Make sure they are not crowded by other plants. Always check their water. These are some of the loveliest and easiest to care for plants I ever had. My grandmother had peonies and I loved them. They make great cut flowers but be careful when you bring them in because they will have ants in them. They can't bloom without the ants to help cut the edges of the petals. I didn't know that until a few years ago. Good luck with your peonies!
@hcromer (2710)
• United States
16 Mar 09
Good to hear about the ants... I definitely plan on cutting them and bringing them in the house when they bloom. I looked at Lowe's over the weekend and I couldn't find them there. Maybe I'm just looking for them too early in the season.
• Canada
16 Mar 09
Do you have any friends or neighbours that have peonies? They're easiest to start from a root or cutting, so if you can find someone who already has a bush maybe they can share a piece.
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@JABeau59 (446)
• United States
16 Mar 09
I would ask a salesperson because they may not be where you expect. They are in bags as they are dry roots. They were by the bags of flower bulbs inside the store were I got them. I would ask and save myself a little time.
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@draconess (650)
• Canada
16 Mar 09
Another note about peonies and ants- because they need the ants to bloom, they will become infested. So don't plant them near your house doors! If you plant them on the other side of the yard, away from your house, they will draw the ants away so you don't get as many finding their way into your home. My parents used to have problems with anthills in the front yard and they were always finding ways into the house looking for new places to make homes, so we put peonies in by the front sidewalk to draw them away.
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@hcromer (2710)
• United States
18 Mar 09
Excellent tip, I'll keep that in mind because I had been thinking about putting them all around the edges of the house... Crisis averted [thanks to you]! :)