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When to plant:
The suitable time for planting is early Winter. Late October and November are the ideal months for transplanting and adding new varieties to your garden. This will benefit the formation of the root system before the onset of cold winter weather, supplying nutrients to the plants for growing and blooming in the upcoming spring.
Where to plant:
An area 20"-24" deep and 24" wide should be dug for tree Peonies . Tree Peonies require a deeply hole in which their roots can reach down to secure good anchorage. Consequently, they demand very well-drained soil. If your soil tends to become waterlogged, then plant them in a raised bed or in a spacious pot. Remember standing water at the roots may kill Peonies Tree Peonies relish a well-composted soil, heavily enriched with humus. They should not be grown in competition with other large root systems, but being deep rooted, they will easily accommodate shallow-rooted plants grown around their base. Also, tree Peonies prefer sunlight but sunlight which is too strong may cause the flowers to wither quickly during the blooming season. Thus, it is best to plant them in a semi-shady location. They should not receive too much water, otherwise their roots may rot. If this occurs, the location should be drained well, preferably via a gentle slope or raised bed; in addition, the soil should be fertile with an ideal P.H. from 6.5 to 7.5 is the ideal. If the P.H. is lower than this, you may add a little lime. But tree Peonies will tolerate a wide range.
How to plant:
Hold the plant with one hand and use a tool with the other hand to fill the hole carefully. When the hole is two-thirds filled with earth, hold the branches upward slightly to make the roots spread, then continue to fill the hole until the soil rise a little. Tamp the soil firmly to remove the air and then water.
Caring & maintenance:
Watering: Tree Peonies don't need extra watering under normal conditions. If it is very dry, they can be watered a little but avoid excessive water which may drown the roots and kill the plants. During March and April when they are growing and blooming, make sure they receive plenty of water if your weather condition is dry. After blooming, provide supplemental water if conditions are drier than normal. Once established, tree Peonies are very drought-resistant.
Feeding:
Tree Peonies prefer rich, fertile soil. For more beautiful flowers, you should supply the fertilizer to them in the early spring or after the flowers wither. It is better to use a fully rotted organic fertilizer.After tree Peonies have finished blooming, the remaining flower parts should be removed from the stems to avoid seed production, which takes much of the nutrients needed for flowering in the next several years.
Pruning:
Tree Peonies may be pruned after their leaves have fallen. Prune out diseased or feeble branches then remove branches and leaves from the garden. Pruning and trimming affect plant growth, flower quality, visual effect and life span of the plant. Eliminating dry, sick or pest-damaged branches and redundant branches and buds can maintain the dynamic balance between the above ground and below-ground parts of the plants. The distribution of branches may also be affected.
Disease control:
Although many people find that tree Peonies are free from disease, they are, in fact, susceptible to a number of troubles, some of minor and others of major importance. These diseases are of various types, including blights, stem rot, wilt, root knot, leaf spots, and virus troubles.
Certain other cultural practices will also prove beneficial. When making new plantings, the clumps should be given adequate space in order to prevent the development of large dense clusters, which serve to promote conditions favorable to attacks of the fungus. For the same reason, old established plantings should be dug and divided when necessary. The use of sunny, open exposures will aid considerably in preventing serious epidemics of the Botrytis blight disease. Field observations indicate that Peonies varieties vary widely with regard to relative susceptibility to the disease.
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