How To Grow Peonies In Pots

Learn How To Grow Peonies In Pots!!!

Peonies are amazing flowers that come in every color but blue and can live to be up to 100 years old! Peonies come in so many different shapes and sizes and have a long line of history in many different cultures. They are traditionally grown in the ground but can thrive in pots with the right care. So, how do you grow beautiful Peonies in pots? We researched and broke it down into three easy steps!

Picking a healthy plant, good soil, and a suitable container is vital.

Plant your peonies in a good spot and care for their daily needs.

Prune, feed, and rest your peonies to help them thrive.

Growing Peonies in pots is relatively similar to growing them in the ground. The significant difference is they are more susceptible to freezing, making the pruning step especially vital.

Planting peonies in pots

The peony is well known for its intense color and large blooms, and container-grown varieties allow you to bring those blooms inside, on your patio, your terrace, or your even your balcony. If you are growing a peonies in a pots you have to take into consideration moisture retention. When you are growing a peony you need to make sure that you have a large enough container with well-draining soil. This cannot be stressed enough.

Choosing a container

Part of picking the right container is finding one that’s not only big enough but one that has adequate drainage. More often than not you might have to supply extra drainage by either drilling holes into the bottom of the container or adding things like gravel or crockery as a base layer to help with the drainage to help prevent the holes become blocked. If you don’t accommodate proper drainage you will end up with rot and they will often not survive winter.

You will need a container that is at least 50-60cm deep and as wide or wider. Remember that a peony is a very large bush and it can stand taller than a metre so you need to give it plenty of room to grow.

Choosing the right free-draining compost

Once you have picked the container and drilled extra drainage holes just to be on the safe side, you need to consider what soil you will use. The soil needs to be very loose, well-draining but of course perfectly fertile. If you can find a mixture of 65% soil-based compost such as John Innes potting compost with 35% perlite that will keep it as buoyant and loose as your peony needs. You can also mix together gravel with your compost if you want to substitute the perlite.

How to plant a peony

When you plant your peony, put the tuber in the pot in the springtime with the eyes facing upward, and add a few inches of soil over the top. If you plant it any deeper than this it might not bloom and that’s certainly not what you want. At the time you plant your peony you can always add a slow-release fertiliser tablets into the soil to give it an extra boost. Once you plant everything, water it evenly but don’t overwater.

Light Requirements

Place the pots in an area where you can find shade for your potted peonies, but they still get plenty of sunlight. A spot with dappled light is perfect!

Watering Requirements

Water your peonies at least once a week if you want them to last. They thrive in the sun and can withstand drought but like all plants they need moisture too.

A little bit goes along way with these flowers – just make sure not to overdo it or let their soil dry out completely before giving them more water again.

Fertilizer

If you want your peonies to be vibrant and full of life, it’s important that they are fed in the early spring. Too much fertilizer can burn their roots so don’t use anything higher than 5-10-10. Add more fertilizer again after they are finished blooming for the season.

Where to place your Peonies containers?

First, move the container in a sheltered position in the winter to make sure it won’t freeze.

Container Peonies need to have a winter where the temperature does not go below freezing. In order for them to bloom again in the spring, it’s necessary that these tender flowers experience chilly temperatures!

Hardiness zones 8 should do well, but those from 9 and 10 may never flower if their winters are too mild this time around.

Diseases and pests

In containers you will find that your peony is remarkably resistant to diseases and pests with the exception of root rot which, assuming you follow the directions for proper drainage shouldn’t be a problem either.

Overall a peony is an elegant plant, bringing forth stunning flowers every spring and you will be rewarded for decades to come by giving your container-grown peony just a little bit of extra effort.