Peony

Peony

Paeonia lactiflora

Plant out 5 weeks before your first fall frost. Space plants 36 in (91 cm) apart.

Photo: Julie Anne Workman, CC BY-SA 3.0 · source

When to plant

Timed from your frost dates, so it holds wherever you garden. Give yours and every step below becomes a date.

See the dates for your garden

Enter your average last spring frost and first fall frost. Every timing on this site turns into a calendar date. Not sure of yours? Your local extension service or a search for “last frost date” and your town will tell you; the app finds them from your location.

Last spring frost
First fall frost

Saved in this browser only. Nothing is sent anywhere.

Optimal Fall Planting (Roots)

RootRecommended
  1. Plant out5 weeks before your first fall frost
  2. First harvestthe first crop about 2 years after planting

Optimal Spring Planting (Roots)

Root
  1. Plant out4 weeks before your last spring frost
  2. First harvestthe first crop about 2 years after planting

Growing peony

Spacing in the row
36 in (91 cm)
Between rows
48 in (122 cm)
Planting depth
Eyes (buds) 1-2 inches below the soil surface; container plants at pot depth. Deeper planting reduces bloom.
Sun
Full Sun
Years to first crop
2
Mature height
2-3 ft
Hardy to
USDA zone 3
Life cycle
Perennial

Feeding

How often
Once a year, in early spring. Feed sparingly with a low-nitrogen feed as shoots emerge, kept 8-18 inches from the crown; too much nitrogen means poor flowering, and established clumps often need feeding only every few years.

Your peony, planned to the day.

Canopy turns these timings into dates from your own frost data, places every plant at its spacing on your garden map, and tracks it all the way to harvest.

Add peony to your planting calendar →

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