Shop Products
Houzz Logo Print
gardenerzone4

How will a herbaceous peony behave with 4-5 hours of morning sun?

gardenerzone4
12 years ago

If you have experience with herbaceous peonies planted in 4-5 hours of full unobstructed morning sun (from sunrise at 6AM to 11AM) or afternoon sun (from 3PM to sunset at 8PM), please reply to this post and let me know how well your peony does. How well does it bloom compared to peonies that get 8-10 hours of sun a day? Is it 80% of the full sun bloom quantity, 60%, 40%, 20%? I know that bloom amount decreases as light decreases, but how drastic is the dropoff at 5 hours as compared to 6? And does morning v. afternoon sun matter for bloom quantity (not quality) if the hours of sun are the same?

The spots where I'd like to put some peonies this fall have great soil enriched with years of compost, but only get 5 hours of sun. I don't mind living with 20% less blooms from the peonies planted there, because 80% is still better than no peonies, but I wouldn't want mature peonies planted there to not bloom at all, or only to put out a smattering of puny blooms a year. I also don't mind if they bloom later than their full sun counterparts, as long as they still bloom well.

What's been your experience, and would you go for it if you were me?

BTW, are some herbaceous cultivars more shade tolerant than others? And though they're more shade tolerant, I'd rather not plant tree peonies, as the stem length is not long enough for my cutting purposes.

Thanks,

Gardenerzone4

Comment (1)

Sponsored
Ed Ball Landscape Architecture
Average rating: 4.8 out of 5 stars30 Reviews
Exquisite Landscape Architecture & Design - “Best of Houzz" Winner