Peonies

"Had I but four square feet of ground at my disposal, I would plant a peony in the corner and proceed to worship." -Alice Harding, The Book of the Peony

It's currently a blizzard outside, which naturally has me wishing for Spring. As much as I love cozy sweaters and knits, I prefer summer.

Recently I've shared a few pictures of our garden on Instagram stories which has prompted a lot of gardening questions. I've shared a few posts before, but realized I failed to talk about Peonies! How could I forget, they're my very favorite flower.

Peonies are the easiest flower to grow and you'll be so pleased at how abundant the blossoms are.

A few tips:

1. They like direct sun, our home is south facing and I find that they do best when they're getting 6-8 hours of sunlight. 

2. Peonies don't like to be lonely. Plant them in pairs or groups if you can. 

3. As always make sure you have good soil before planting anything. In terms of fertilizing I use miracle grow but stop once you start to get blooms.

4. If it's your first year planting peonies, you may get a few blooms and although it may be tempting don't cut them wait till year two. When you do cut, I always use the marshmallow test. The bloom should still be closed but soft to the the touch like a marshmallow.

5. Lastly, before the first snow be sure to cut your peonies all the way to the ground. This will prevent any mold or disease.

 

Leave a comment

All comments are moderated before being published