Herbaceous
- Dig a hole that is no less than 12”x12”x12, place the root in the hole and start to back fill so that the upper most eye is no more than 1 ½” from the top of the hole. (using a straight edge across the top of the hole will help you get the accurate measurement).
- With the root in position, water with about one gallon of water. After the water soaks in finish back filling the hole.
Itoh (intersectional)
- Dig a hole that is no less than 12”x12”x12, place the root in the hole and start to back fill so that the upper most eye is at ground level.
- With the root in position, water with about one gallon of water. After the water soaks in finish back filling the hole.
Tree
- Dig a hole that is no less than 18”x18”x18” (gage by the size of your root), place the root in the hole and start to back fill so that the upper most eye is no more than 2” from the top of the hole. (using a straight edge across the top of the hole will help you get the accurate measurement).
- With the root in position, water with about one gallon of water. After the water soaks in finish back filling the hole.
Fall Maintenance of Peonies
The first year
After planting, all peonies should be mulched with bark, hay, straw, pine boughs or soil. Make sure there is no more than 6” of mulch over the plants, this keeps the young plants from heaving and breaking off valuable feeder roots during the freezing and thawing of winter. Mulch is to be removed very carefully away from the plants in the last weeks of April.
October
Herbaceous peonies: cut off all top growth to ground level
Intersectional (Itoh): cut off all top growth to 1” above ground
Tree peonies: do not cut off in the Fall, leave until Spring. Once all new growth has been made, carefully move new growth aside and prune old dead wood.