Planting Peonies

A couple of weeks ago I got an email from my gardening friend Michael letting me know that he's going to be digging up some of his peonies very soon, and wanting to know if I was interested in a couple of divisions.

Since I don't currently grow any peonies, and since they're a plant that my wife really likes, and since they're free -- I said yes! Since it's Mike I should have known that "a couple" really meant six.

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They spent a few days in the garage, out of the heat and sun. I had to think for a little while about where to plant these long-lived perennials...

...but I came up with one spot right away:

That area has just been looking weedy the last couple of years, and needs something more permanent. First, it needs a cleaning though, getting rid of the cleome, some rudbeckia triloba, and vinca:

Next, some manure:

Turn it in...

I believe I received all different varieties from Mike, but a few of them were not labeled so I'm not certain of the colors or bloom types. In this first bed though I put two plants that were labeled, as I didn't want to put two pink ones (or white ones) together -- and there's only room for two here!

These were the two best-looking of the divisions too.

On the other side of the I-can't-believe-how-big-it's-gotten "Home Run" rose is this other space which needs some love:

That works great, as only the rose will separate the two peony beds!

This soil was remarkably dry and hard. Lots more manure went it after I cracked the ground, and this is where I put the unlabeled varieties, four of them.

I have to say, they don't look so great right now. Mike says that they've stored plenty of energy for next year's buds though, so don't worry about the leaves dying. Even these...

...should do fine and produce new growth in the spring. Some of them had buds showing already:

Still, I'm not too happy about the desiccated leaves and distressed look:

So six new peonies planted, and now I just have to wait until spring to see this ugly replaced by some beauty (and to see if the deer will eat these).


I'll wait until next year when they bloom to post about the varieties, since only two of them have labels.

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