Getting blooms for mothers day

madaboutgardens

16 years ago

I am wondering when it would be appropriate to start Peonies so that they will bloom around mothers day ?

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Comments (3)

calistoga_al ca 15 usda 9
16 years ago
Did you mean THIS mothers day, or mother's days in years to come? Peonies will bloom earlier here I am sure than where you live. Check with your local nurseries or county extension service. Peonies are usually planted in the fall and the time of planting is not likely to have much effect on when they bloom next year or if they bloom at all the first year. Al
tooslim
16 years ago
Yes, when you plant will not determine when it blooms. That is up to the variety you have and where you live. I don't think you would have any at Mothers Day in NJ. Mine bloom at Mothers Day, but I am down here in Charlotte NC and it is a lot warmer. All our plants start coming up in early March.
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jeannie7
16 years ago
Madabout, your question, the way it was put, suggests starting....like a seed.
We don't "start" a peony, it is planted in the fall for spring blooming.

You reside in New Jersey...zone 6...maybe even zone 7 if you are near the coast..I'd speculate about a week ..maybe two weeks before us here in Ontario's zone 5.

Given that time...I'd say there is a chance of you having bloom on Mother's Day. This year's date was May 14....the second Monday in May.

I keep a diary of sort...I like to compare from one year to the next what and how my beddding plants did and keep a record of when they come up.
My peonies...7 of them....were all up about a foot on Mother's Day....and my Oriental Poppies up a bit more.
The peonies were up a lot more by the 21st....one week later...and bloomed shortly after---some later than others.

So you might just have a chance of seeing bloom the second Monday in May.

Is there some special reason why --- I suppose you are maybe thinking of cutting and presenting to Mom some big bright blooms. That's very nice to think....but you should also be aware where you have peonies, you have ants.
Ants eat the sugary deposit on the top of the buds and may hang around in the deep recesses of the petals.
You might, before presenting them, turn them upside down and give them a little shake...not too hard...just to unseat bugs that might be enjoying the shade.

This is a message I'd like to think you looked forward to...so maybe you could fill us in whether you got some blooms on that special day in '08.