When is the best time to plant peonies and when do they bloom? Plus the best planting times for each region

The peony is a plant in the family Paeoniaceae and the genus Paeonia, and it is a perennial deciduous shrub. Its flowers are brilliant in color, jade-like in beauty and pearl-like in fragrance, elegant and unrestrained, magnificent and splendid, and it has long enjoyed the reputation of “king of flowers.” So when is the best time to plant peonies? When do they bloom? The details are compiled for you as follows:

When do peonies bloom

Blooming period: May. When do peonies bloom? For beginners at growing flowers, this is one of the most frequently asked questions, as everyone hopes to see the flowers they grow produce beautiful blooms. If you want the flowers to stay in bloom a little longer and have even more brilliant color, you can refer to the article “How to care for peonies after blooming” on “Huabaike” to learn more.

Differences between the different types of peonies:

1. Peony: It can grow up to 1.5 zhang tall, and from late April to May it produces pure-colored flowers such as purple, red, or white.

2. Rockii peony: It is a varietal form of peony, and its biggest difference from the peony in flowers is that the blooms are larger and are mainly white.

3. Dwarf peony: It is a varietal form of peony, and its biggest difference from the peony is in the leaves.

Types of plant form:

Upright form: The whole plant is relatively firm and upright, and as a whole it looks very clustered, reaching a maximum height of more than 1 m.

Spreading form: As the name suggests, the branches and stems grow outward in all directions, and the overall spread far exceeds its height.

Open form: The branches and stems are relatively upright and sturdy, and the overall shape is between the upright form and the spreading form, with a height of about 30 cm to 40 cm.

Dwarf form: This plant form grows relatively slowly, and after 5 years of growth the plant height is only 15 cm.

Single-trunk form: This plant form is artificially shaped, and its height is between 20 cm and 80 cm.

When is the best time to plant peonies

"Move a peony in spring, and it will never bloom until old age." This old saying still makes some sense. Peonies differ from other flowers in that their fine roots grow in winter. So if you transplant, you must wait until after National Day, and transplant after the peony leaves have fallen; under normal circumstances, it can bloom by the second year.

By the end of August, peony flower buds have formed, and by this time the peony begins dormancy, so bare-root transplanting can be carried out. From north to south, bare-root transplanting is as follows:

Northeast: August-October is best

North China: September to November is best

Central China: mid-September to the end of November is best

South China: October to January of the following year is all suitable

If you want peonies to grow well the next year, it is still best to plant them early, as this will produce a large number of new fibrous roots, which plays a key role in the next year's growth.