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| I would like to add peonies to my Central Texas garden, but do not know if they will do well this far south.
Can peonies be grown in Zone 8b, in alkaline soil? Are there any secrets that I should know to promote blooms? Thank you in advance for answering my post. In the meantime, I will continue to dream about peonies in the garden... Audrey |
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| Zones can be misleading. I grow lots of peonies here and if zones were all we needed you could do well with them. Call you local county extension service and ask the average number of cooling hours for where you live. Generally anything over 400 hours and your peonies will do well if you are careful to plant them high in the soil so the buds for next years stems are exposed to air temperatures and not insulated by the soil. Your peonies should bloom consistently ONCE ESTABLISHED which can take up to three years. If you dig compost into your soil before planting and regularly top dress seasonally with compost your soil should not be a problem. Al |
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- Posted by vuwugarden Central TX 8b (My Page) on Tue, Mar 8, 11 at 11:32
| Thanks, Al, for responding! My peony roots should be coming in a few weeks. The recommended time to plant peonies is Fall, so should I plant my shipment of peony roots now or save them for Fall planting? Thanks for the tips....I will also call my extension office today too. Happy Spring to all! Audrey |
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| If your peonies are shipped bare root divisions, I would pot them up and plant them in the fall. If you are getting peonies rooted in pots from four inch pots to one gallon size I would plant them in the garden when received. Your summer sun may be a little strong for plants just out of a greenhouse, and I would provide some shade from midday sun. Al |
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- Posted by rosecorgis Z9 NorCal (My Page) on Fri, Mar 11, 11 at 20:21
| I grown a few in Northern California too. I'm near the CA Central Valley so I have 100 degree days in the summer. They really need afternoon shade in that heat. The best recommendation I got was to plant early blooming ones. That way when they bloom our real heat hasn't hit yet. So far, it works for me. I bought both of mine potted so they weren't very young. Some bloom 1st year, good bloom last year in their second year. They're just now putting their noses out of the ground for this year. I'm thinking of adding a third. My best one is Bowl of Beauty. |
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| Audrey I am in Zone 8b in alkaline soil in central CA. I just posted a long message on the thread "peonies for the South " I totally agree the comment posted by rosecorgis. Good luck! |
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