- Transplanting peonies: Choosing a location
- When to transplant peonies?
- Transplanting peonies: instructions in six steps
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The garden is being redesigned or the peony no longer has enough space in its place? We share helpful tips on transplanting your peonies.
Before the peonies (Paeonia) crowd out other plants in their place in the garden with their size, it is better to transplant the former to a new location. We have summarized for you here when the peony should best be transplanted and what conditions the new location should have.
Transplanting peonies: Choosing a location
So that the peonies can live for many years in their future location, it must be well chosen. However, there are differences between the shrub and perennial peony that should be noted. The location of the tree peony is the more complicated of the two: it should be airy and free, but not characterized by a cold draft. A windbreak in the back of the plant is beneficial here, even if this means that you cannot look at it from all sides. In deep shade, the plants will wither, so the sun should shine on them at least half of the day. Tip: In areas with severe late frosts, the tree peony should never be planted in the morning sun, as the rapid thawing phase in the early sun puts a lot of strain on the young shoots.
Another important factor is the space size. The location of a tree peony should be at least 1 m2, because species like the Paeonia delavayi can easily grow to a width of 5 m. In addition to the correct pH value (6.0 - 8.0), sufficient drainage is also essential. Waterlogging is an immense stress factor for every shrub peony. If the existing soil contains a high proportion of sand, its effect is sufficient. In the case of heavy clay soils, however, it is advisable to loosen them up and mix in sand.
In contrast, perennial peonies cause significantly less headaches when choosing a location. Their tolerance range goes from a loamy to a light soil and from calcareous toto a slightly acidic (pH 5 - 6) substrate. The perennial peonies prefer a sunny location, but also bloom in semi-shade. The only important factor is that the planting hole needs to be worked two spades deep below the root ball and may need to be improved as perennial peonies develop deep roots quickly.
When to transplant peonies?
First of all, there are no fundamental differences between perennial peonies and tree peonies in terms of the timing of transplanting. Old peonies should be transplanted from late summer, as soon as the leaves change color, until late autumn. Don't transplant the peonies in spring, as the young shoots can break off very easily. You can read why autumn is the best time to plant peonies and other helpful tips here.
Transplanting peonies: instructions in six steps
As before any project, you have to take enough time to transplant peonies so that mistakes that are actually avoidable come to light later on and cause trouble. We have put together a guide for you below:
1. Determination of type and space requirement
The space required by a peony depends entirely on the height of the respective variety. In most cases, this is 80 - 90 cm for perennial peonies. However, if short varieties such as Paeonia tenuifolia or the varieties 'Raspberry Rose' or 'Gretchen' are bought, half a meter is also sufficient. This space requirement can be greater for tree peonies.
2. Choosing the right location and planting time for transplanting peoniesThe location should be blessed with at least half a day's worth of sunshine. It shouldn't be completely outdoors, but should have neighboring plants and/or objects on one or two sides. Fall is a great time to transplant peonies.
3. Dig up peony at old location
When digging up, pay attention to the small and especially the large roots. See our special article on propagating peonies for full descriptions.
4. Ground preparation at new locationThe soil in the planting hole should be well loosened and, in heavy soils, even have built-in drainage in the form of gravel to avoid waterlogging.
5. Planting peonies at the new location
There are important differences between shrub and perennial peonies and also between grafted specimens and divisions. Tree peonies are planted so deep that the grafting point (easily recognizable at the point where the slender branch meets the thick root) is 10 - 15 cm below the surface of the earth. This ensures that the base (root=wild plant species) does not sprout, but only the desired "scrape" grows and thrives on top. If they are divided, they are planted vertically. With young grafted specimens (scion rice + wild rootstock) it is important to plant them at an angle. This promotes the growth of the noble rice. With regard to your own roots, however, you should also start several new shoots vertically upwards.
The perennial peonies, on the other hand, should only be buried 5 cm deep. It is advisable to dig out the planting hole and water it, but only bury the plant after a day or two. The reason for this is the risk of the earth sagging along with the perennial peony, which can lead to significant weakening.
Tip: For an optimal start, work a dose of primarily organic organic fertilizer such as our Plantura organic flower fertilizer into the soil when planting.
6. Caring for peonies after transplantingAfter planting everything is watered again. Additional watering is only required during long periods of drought during the growing season.
In addition to transplanting, pruning the peonies is an important care measure. You can find out how to do this in our article on the topic “Pruning peonies and cutting off faded blossoms”.