I've planted some too deep before, because I had to transplant them during the summer months from Nebraska to Kansas midseason. Fall is best for transplanting, but I didn't have that option. Anyway, I figure you can always add dirt more easily than taking it away, so in the newest peonies I've planted, I've made sure to keep it shallow.

It is fun watching them grow! I've gone from 3 Walmart Sorbet planted about 3-4 years ago (that have never bloomed (until probably this summer)) to about 22 plants this year. They are all planted up on the berm west of my house, which I now call "Peony Hill". I planted about half of those just last fall. It looks like I will have 11 plants that will bloom this year with about 26 buds. This will be the 1st year of blooms, and I am going to enjoy the show! In previous years, I've been teased as I could see the small buds, but they didn't amount to anything. This year, however, the buds are huge; so I'm confident I'll have some nice blooms.

Now, I just have to be patient for my tree peonies that I planted last fall. It is awesome to watch them leaf out from this tightly rolled bud. It almost looks like a rose bud, when its all tightly coiled, but it just keeps on unfurling leaves as it grows.

hi ya peaonymom! :)
you'll haveta get pics when they bloom,
wow! houndinni you got tons! bet your yards beauitful!
ill have ta get a pic of my peonies [i got the one white n a pink no names] this year n see if i can get names! my white been in the same spot for well over 30 years. its old like me lol,

Hi houdinii & Chrizty! houdinii, it sure sounds like you have some well established peonies finally! Does your Sorbet look as pretty as the picture on the package reveals? My peony is also a Walmart Sorbet, as well as the other Immaculee I mentioned. I also live in KS, so I tried to plant them when the schedule said to, here it is April/May so I think I am on target. I even measured with a tape measure for the distance apart!*LOL* I look every day when I get home to see if they've popped thru the ground yet! *taps fingers* Oh My am I anxious!But I know the rhyme so I am gonna have to wait a few years to enjoy the results.

Chrizty, don't forget to send me a root of your peony so I can get it in the ground this fall!

Thank you houdinii for the tips you gave me. I am really looking forward to visiting with you and learning new things here on the GW! Are you willing to share some of your pics of "Peony Hill?" I would love to see them!AND how many years did you actually have to wait for the buds to grow from small to large?

PeonyMom ill get c# number so you can watch it every day comming closer n closer to you lol,
houndinii hope you get pics! id love to see too:)

i dug up starts from the pinks right after they bloomed, n transplanted in my yard, they looked bad that year, i just planted annuals around them, but last year n this year they grew good, i hope to get a bloom this year or next. i dont know cause there still so small?

Yes, I plan on taking/sharing some pictures when they are in bloom. My 1st Walmart sorbets were planted in the springtime, and this year is their 4th(?) spring. I probably should have taken greater care in preparing the soil depth/width when I planted them, so I've had that working against me. But I did a much better job with the bare roots I planted last fall.

I hadn't planned to have soo many peonies, but my heightened anticipation over the years has led me to plant more. And in a few years when my parents retire and move from NE to KS, I hope to be able to share with them some roots that will quickly establish in their new yard.

While I'm excited for my peonies, I still compare to other folks' more established plants on my way to work, and I've noticed those others are taller/more mature than even my oldest peonies. Granted some of the difference could be due to peony variety, but I'm sure mine are still on their way towards becoming a more mature/fuller plant.

Houdini, is that Walmart Sorbet a bare root? I just bought a couple of container ones at the Farmer's Market yesterday for $8 bucks each and they both have three big buds about ready to burst forth. I won't plant until they finish blooming, a Sarah Bernhardt and a Felix ??? (can't remember without going outside to see). Anyway, I'm in Kansas too. I hope you share pics of your Peony Hill. Sounds wonderful!

I found a good one-sheet information on growing peonies here: http://www.songsparrow.com/pdfs/peonycaresheet.pdf

Yes, the Sorbet was bare root when I bought it from Walmart. Last spring I planted a bare root Edulis Superba from Walmart, and it looks like it will bloom this year. So, it has progressed much better than the Sorbet from a few years back.

My Peony Hill isn't great looking, yet. The peony bushes are nowhere near mature, but I envision that someday it will be. Half the fun is the journey.

The peonies I've selected were based on bloom time, color, and fragrance...oh, and cost (can't forget that one!).

My herbaceous selection: Sorbet, Edulis Superba, Red Charm, Raspberry Sundae, Mons Jules Elie, Kansas, Solange, Dr. Alexander Fleming, Louis Van Houtte, Angel Cheeks, Pink Parfait, Paul Wild, and Lollipop Lies. This fall I hope to transplant a white peony or two from my folks' up in Nebraska.

Here's a teaser of what's to come. Snapshots of my Sorbet yesterday, photos of how my tree peonies have progressed, and other miscellaneous.

http://flickr.com/photos/26221809@N04/sets/72157604883502372/

Well, my Walmart Peonies do not appear to be true to name. My Sorbet looks like Mons Jules Elie and my Edulis Superba is completely white! Unless they're just young plants and not blooming like they will when mature, they must have been incorrectly labeled. I'm disappointed because had I known they would be Mons Jules Elie instead of Sorbet, I would not have ordered a Mons Jules Elie from Gilbert Wild last fall...arghhhhh.

Updated pics are here: http://flickr.com/photos/26221809@N04/sets/72157604883502372/

i am sorry i have not posted, I am without a puter at home so have to borrow one to catch up! Thank you aulani for sharing the peony care sheet link. I will print it off for future reference! houdinii, i am going right now to see your pics! I know I will be jealous!

I also am in a bind. I planted 4 bare roots sent to me by a friend in Pennsylvania, and now we are moving to Oklahoma! Is it possible I can pull up the bare roots and replant them in my new yard? I also want to take the Sorbet and Imaculee. I have worked so hard to take care of them, they are like my "babies!" I know they are sleeping right now & will only creep next year, so maybe it will be ok. Any suggestions?

Plan on digging a big hole and getting the entire rootball with as little disturbance to the roots as possible. And plan on doing the waiting all over again. I say that because it seems to be the story of my life. I am now permanently located and can't wait for my peonies to get situated so that they will bloom.

thanks for the suggestions tkhooper. I had a feeling I would have to play the waiting game, but it will be well worth it when they do take off!

Hi
I'm new on the Peony plants. I think they are beautiful so I got one from QVC. They say it is okay in our zone. I don't think I have every seen one ecept in pictures. I p;anted my bareroot about 3 weeks ago. It is about 12 inches tall. It was in very good shape when I got it but now it isn't doing anything. We have had 100 degree temp here in N Ca and lots of fires so very smoky. It had 3 or 4 white I guess leaves starting to form on the stalks I kept watching them but they didn't move or anything but kept getting greener. but now the ends are drying out and looking brittle. I don't know what to do I have been trying to shade it in the hottest part of the day but I don
tknow if it is helping. I don't know if I should keep watering it or let it dry out like tye say. Can someone give me some info I sure do need it.
thanks Mar

the peony rhyme is 'the 1st year it sleeps, the 2nd year it creeps, and the 3rd year it leaps', so it might take a few years to see it flourish. It will be well worth the wait. I don't know about the smoke affecting them. I would keep them well watered due to the 100 degree temps. Please correct me if I am wrong because I am still learning too!

Hi
I've been reading info that you guys have written. It answered alot of my questions. Now at least I know that the things that looked like wilted celery are actually leaves. Hope I get more because these are drying out from the 100 degree weather. I guess I have a Tree Peony. So is the care different from the bush? They pamphlet that came with it said I should have flowers this year. But that is hard to believe it is so small. It sounds to me from what everyone is saying is it takes forever to see any results. So I guess I should just leave it alone and wait.