How and when do peonies bloom: in what month, what year after planting, replanting

The perennial, which serves as a symbol of the Celestial Empire, is planted in Europe and cultivated in Asia and North America. Peonies bloom in one place for decades. There are about 50 species of ornamental plants, which are unpretentious and quickly adapt to different climate conditions.

When peonies bloom, the garden is filled with a delicate aroma, and you can watch the stunning spectacle for a long time. Plants come in early and late varieties, both of which delight with beauty.

What factors determine the timing and splendor of peony flowering?

The first flowering of peonies can occur in different months - much depends on the timing of planting and the type of flower. Early varieties begin to bloom in May, the process lasts on average 3 weeks. Immediately after the early ones, mid-flowering varieties, interspecific hybrids, bloom. Late peonies in late June and early July delight with colorful buds until the beginning of August.

Important! If you take into account the flowering times of different varieties of peonies, you can always create a beautiful, lush, fragrant flowerbed.

Peonies bloom from May to August - it all depends on the variety and region

Classification of peonies by flowering duration with examples and brief description

Flowers vary in many ways: color, configuration, size. All varieties can be divided into 5 groups according to the type of bud:

Non-double. The bud has 5-10 petals, which are distributed in 2 rows. There are a large number of pistils and stamens in the center. It is distinguished by strong, erect stems. Examples: Golden Glow, Nadya.
Japanese are a transitional form from non-double to terry. In this form, the stamens have somewhat transformed into curved petals, due to which a cushion of various colors (pink, scarlet, yellow) is formed in the core. The pillow may differ in color from the rest of the petals or be the same tone. Stems are erect and elastic. Examples: Akron, Gold Standard.
Anemone-like. The petals are arranged in many rows. In the middle there is a small bunch of yellow stamens. Examples: Longfellow, Snow Montand.
Semi-double. The flower has a large number of petals arranged in many rows. The core contains a mixture of regular and transformed stamens. The buds remain fresh for a long time after cutting. Examples: Legion Hankor, Lastres.
Terry. The core is framed by a large number of wide petals. In some species, the stamens are deformed. Examples: Red Charm, BOB.

Flowering times vary depending on the variety.

What time do peonies bloom?

The crops grow in early spring, the growth period of the stems is about 40 days. Flowering time occurs 45 days from the start of the growth process. On average, buds remain attractive for up to 2 weeks, each flower for no more than 7 days.

Important! In hot weather, flowering is brighter, but quite fast.

Hybrid varieties will be the most unpretentious to grow

Super early

Super early varieties of peonies include American hybrids. They pleasantly surprise with a luxurious crown and terry buds. The most popular variety is Velma. Peonies bloom after planting for a month or two, this is approximately the end of May.

The delicate petals of super early hybrids bloom before anyone else

Early

At the beginning of June, the Pearl Placer blooms. Peony produces a large number of shoots that grow up to 90 cm in height. The petals are pearlescent at first, then become rich pink. After the Pearl Placer, the hybrid America blooms. The buds last for 3 weeks.

Early peonies are the main flowers of June

Medium flowering peonies

After the early varieties, the mid-flowering varieties take over the baton. Here the period shifts to June 15, flowering lasts on average until the 30th. Popular varieties are crimson Mirage, snow-white Duchess, spherical “daisies” Miss America.

Medium varieties bloom in the second half of June, but in regions with cold climates the timing may move to July

When do late peonies bloom?

On late varieties, the inflorescences last until the end of July. The varieties delight with the original shape of flowers, long flowering, and unusual color. Popular types are spherical Anchatresses with terry petals, lilac buds John Peyton, spreading Arkady Gaidar, spherical terry Gladys Taylor.

Late varieties of peonies are especially luxurious and rich-looking.

Planting and caring for peonies

Planting: late August or early September.
Flowering: May.
Lighting: bright sunlight in the first half of the day, then bright diffused light or light partial shade.
Soil: slightly acidic loam.
Watering: infrequent, but plentiful: 2-3 buckets of water for each adult bush.
Feeding: the first feeding is carried out in early spring, and from the second week of May, peonies are treated with a solution of mineral or organic fertilizer every month, leaves at a time.
Reproduction: root cuttings and seeds (rarely).
Pests: bronze beetles, turf ants, root-knot nematodes.
Diseases: gray rot, rust, brown spot, septoria, root rot, viral mosaic.

Are there peonies that bloom in autumn?

In Russia, this is unlikely, largely due to certain crop requirements for growing conditions and the early onset of cold weather. In Japan, some varieties bloom even in September. If you want to create a beautiful flower bed in the autumn months, you need to realistically assess the climatic conditions, provide proper care, probably shelter, and rely on late hybrids. In any case, peonies bloom very rarely in the months after August.

Important! Some gardeners “play” with fertilizers to get beautiful autumn plantings.

It is problematic to achieve autumn flowering of peonies in the Russian climate.

When do the most common species bloom in our latitudes?

Peony varieties are selected depending on the type of soil and weather conditions. You cannot plant a plant in a pot, since the substrate in it will be depleted faster, and therefore you should carefully look for options for your garden. Considering the unpretentiousness of the plant, this is not difficult.

However, when do the most common varieties begin to bloom? Information about this is detailed in the table:

Name	Beginning of flowering
Maryin root	May 15-20
Delaway	May 23-24
Milky-flowered	June 10-15
Reverse oval	June 1-5
Drug	June 10-15
Rock	May 25-29

Peony flowering times depending on the variety

Peonies bloom at different times, much depends on their type. There are several main varieties.

Non-double ones are laconic and neat, semi-double ones have wide petals, a multi-row corolla and stamens arranged in a ring-shaped pattern. Japanese varieties come with only a couple (maximum) of outer petals, a center, and a corolla. The varieties that look most expressive are those in which the staminodes bend inward and form a characteristic “cushion.” The color may vary, but the species with a golden border are especially beautiful.

Anemone-like cultures are very beautiful, the buds contain large outer petals, with petalodes in the center (they are wider than staminodes, but shorter). A double flower has many wide petals. The pollen is sterile, so double species will not produce seeds.

All varieties of peonies are very beautiful, but they look and bloom differently

Important! The double group consists of semi-rose-shaped, rose-shaped, hemispherical, crown-shaped flowers.

The double flowers are luxurious, multi-tiered, their petals are large, wide, and in one row. Taking into account the height and strength of the stems, cutting, park, and universal varieties are distinguished.

How long do peonies bloom?

Since one planting blooms profusely for no more than a month (and more often - 2 weeks), you need to properly plan the planting time:

early anemoid and terry varieties - June 5-14;
terry and herbaceous medium - from June 15-19 to the end of the month;
If the flowerbed is large, you can plant a whole range of varieties

Causes of poor or scanty flowering

Peonies do not always please with a large number of balloons made of delicate petals with a unique aroma.

Diseases

The plant is resistant to pests, is not afraid of insects, but is affected by fungi, which when activated causes:

rust;
gray rot;
verticillium;
mosaic;
powdery mildew.

The leaves of peonies become covered with plaque, stripes or spots and dry out. Even if the plant manages to produce buds, it blooms very sparingly.

Too acidic soil

Perennial needs large amounts of phosphorus and potassium. In order for a plant to please with its decorative appearance, it needs slightly alkaline nutritious soil mixed with humus. Peonies do not tolerate soil with high acidity; to reduce it, lime is added to the soil.

Lack of moisture

If an ornamental plant is planted in dry soil and not watered regularly, it will not be able to absorb nutrients from the dried soil. The buds that appear do not have enough strength to bloom profusely.

Improper care

Although peony is considered an unpretentious plant, it is necessary to take care of it - irrigate, feed, and prune. If this is not done, the perennial loses its decorative appearance.

Failure to comply with planting deadlines

When peonies are sent into open ground too late, the bushes freeze and it will take a long time for them to move away.

Undeveloped root system

If an adult peony is not properly cared for, the decorative flower grows, stretches upward, the buds become smaller and weaker, since the perennial lacks nutritional components, and the root system develops poorly.

Excessive pruning

To form a beautiful crown, peony shoots are shortened, but you should not be too zealous. The plant will not bloom profusely when it has few leaves, which is observed when cutting branches by a third.

What year does the peony bloom after planting?

The time when peonies bloom will depend on the age of the planting material and growing conditions. If the seedling was 3-4 years old, it is immersed in fertilized soil in the fall, flowers may appear a year later. Tree-like varieties delight owners with bright buds only 5 years after planting - peony blooms after this period, not earlier.

Important! According to the rules, after the first flowering, the buds are cut off - this way all the plant’s forces will go to the development of the root system.

The variety is taken into account. Early species release buds from the beginning of June, middle ones - closer to the middle of the month, late ones - in July. The total flowering period of the bush rarely exceeds 2 weeks. Whether the peony blooms quickly after planting or not largely depends on compliance with the rules of care.

Fertilizer application affects flowering times, but the variety itself is much more important.

Rules of care

In order for peonies to be dotted with exquisite caps of pink, red or snow-white petals for at least 10–15 years, the bushes must be fed, pruned, disease prevention carried out, and prepared for winter in a temperate climate.

Watering mode

Peonies need to be irrigated abundantly; once a week is enough. 2 buckets of water are enough for one plant. During flowering, the perennial needs to be watered less. Peony is most demanding of moisture when buds form and buds form.

Transfer

Wild varieties of ornamental plants feel comfortable in one place for a very long time; hybrids stop blooming after 12 years because the roots grow strongly. To avoid damaging them during transplantation, the bush is dug up with a pitchfork from all sides and removed from the ground. The peony is shaken off the soil, kept in the shade for 5–6 hours, and then placed in the soil. In the first season, all the buds are cut off; in the second year, one or two are left.

Loosening and weeding

The roots of the flower will develop only with a sufficient amount of nutritional components and access to air. After watering and rain, the soil in the flower bed needs to be loosened, otherwise it will form a crust. To prevent weeds from drowning out young bushes, you need to weed the flowerbed regularly.

Top dressing

During planting, fertilizers are applied, which is enough for the perennial until it begins to bloom. In the third spring, the bushes are watered with potassium permanganate, mixing 2-3 g of powder in a bucket of water. Peonies need both organic and mineral complexes. After flowering, the bushes are fed with mullein or bird droppings, which helps strengthen the roots. In August, fertilizers containing potassium and phosphorus are applied.

Trimming

It is not recommended to shorten the shoots of peonies immediately after flowering, so that the plant does not get sick. It is better to do this at the end of June; do not touch the leaves, but cut off part of the stem and the dried bud. Dry and broken branches of tree-like varieties are removed in April, healthy shoots are shortened after buds open. Herbaceous peonies are pruned in October.

Preparing for winter

In late autumn, the flower stems are shortened, leaving up to 2 cm from the stump. In temperate climates, the plant is covered for the winter:

spruce branches;
compost;
peat;
sawdust.

Do not use cut branches as mulch because they harbor insect larvae. Tree peonies provide insulation only in areas where strong winds blow in winter and there is no snow. The shoots are bent to the ground and covered with spunbond and agrofibre.

Protection from diseases and pests

To prevent fungal damage to the flower, the transplanted plant is dipped in copper sulfate. This drug prevents the development of spotting and gray rot, kills the larvae of caterpillars and scale insects. In the spring, peonies are watered with a solution of potassium permanganate, the roots are soaked in the preparation “Fitosporin-M” before planting. To strengthen the plant's immunity, use the fungicide "Maxim".

When do peonies begin to bloom in different regions?

Determining the exact date when plants will bloom is difficult, as it is influenced by a number of factors. The main ones are weather, climate, landing site. You also need to consider what year peonies of a certain type bloom.

The same species can bloom at different times in the middle zone and in the North of Russia

When do peonies bloom in the Moscow region?

The climatic conditions of the Moscow region are quite favorable. Peony begins to bloom in 1 or 5 years, depending only on the variety; early crops bloom from May.

In what month do peonies bloom in the middle zone?

The middle zone is also quite comfortable for growing crops. It is best to plant medium and late varieties that bloom in June. Tree varieties perform well in the middle zone.

Flowering dates for peonies in the Urals and Siberia

In the northern regions, the first flowering in July or even August is not uncommon. Winter-hardy mountain varieties that are not afraid of soil freezing perform best.

Is it possible to replant a blooming peony?

It is possible to replant during flowering, but it is not advisable. During this period, the plant is already prepared to produce flower stalks: buds are formed, ready for flowering.

Flowering peony “Bowl of Beauty”

If such a situation arises urgently, then this must be done extremely carefully:

Prepare the soil, add humus and fertilizing to it;
Carry out thorough watering;
Carefully move the plant with a large lump of earth to a new planting site;
Replanting should only be done in cloudy or rainy weather;
During rooting, carefully monitor its condition, constantly moistening the soil.

Summer adaptation is extremely difficult, so it is better not to touch it unless necessary and wait until the autumn, when the transplant will be more comfortable.

Cutting rules

It is optimal to cut flowers at the bud stage - this way they will last longer than their fully bloomed counterparts. But with peonies you need to be careful - a completely green bud in a vase may not open.

The durability of the stems will depend on compliance with the cutting rules.

Important! The ideal time of day for cutting is early in the morning. The procedure is not carried out during rains.

A sharp knife is used to cut the stems; after the procedure, the injured parts are immersed in water up to the flowers so that the leaves and stems absorb the water. In industrial cultivation, flowers are sorted before packaging. Storage time largely depends on the freshness of the water and the quality of the material, but cut peonies still do not last long.

How to treat and spray peonies against ants?

Ants quite often accumulate near and on peonies. Therefore, it is necessary to fight these insects.

There are several options for dealing with ants:

Chemicals. Chemical agents include various insecticides. The most effective are considered to be Anteater, Muratsid or Ant. All of these substances are usually soluble in water. The plant is watered with the resulting solution.
Physical means. Physical means include a variety of repellers and traps. Some summer residents note the effectiveness of these products. Some cite complete uselessness. The best traps are considered to be Combat and Raptor. But they still contain chemicals that are poisonous and kill ants.
Traditional methods. Some summer residents speak well of folk remedies for fighting ants. This is boric acid, which is used to add to water. The plants are watered directly with the resulting solution, and the discovered anthills are also poured with boiling water.

Ants on peonies

Some tips on how to prolong the flowering of peonies

A perennial may not form buds when it should, and if they do, they dry out quickly. The problem may be age (the plant is old), or improper growing conditions have occurred. It should also be taken into account that in the first year of life, the peony simply actively adapts to new conditions, grows stems, so there may be no buds. In most cases, missing flowers is not a cause for concern.

Flowers do not tolerate transplants well; if they are likely to occur, it is advisable to place a plastic bag with special holes in the planting container before filling the soil.

In order for annuals to bloom longer, you need to regularly pluck faded flowers, preventing seeds from forming. Annuals can be cut, leaving only 2-3 cm of the bottom of the stem, then watered and fertilized. In this case, re-blooming should occur by the end of summer.

Important! The regrown shoots on the sides bloom later than unpruned ones.

To delay the start of the flowering period, at the end of winter you can carefully rake the snow up to the bushes and compact it, and then pour a 5 cm layer of sawdust on top. They are removed in mid-May.

Experienced gardeners associate the complete lack of flowering with improper cultivation of crops. There are schedules for planting, watering, fertilizing - they should be strictly followed. Any deviations lead to undesirable results.

Basic mistakes

A perennial does not bloom not only if the rules and timing of planting are not followed, or due to the lack of proper care, but also for other reasons.

Violation of the technological cut

Summer residents sometimes greatly shorten shoots to give the bush a beautiful shape. An ornamental plant does not have enough strength to form buds if there are less than 3 leaves on the shoot when cut.

Removing faded flowers but leaving petals

Pathogenic microorganisms provoke the development of diseases in which both shoots and greens dry out. Fungal spores and pest larvae thrive in the petals, so they need to be collected and burned.

Preservation of a large number of lateral buds

Although peonies are unpretentious plants, any mistake in care leads to the fact that the perennial loses its decorative appearance. The peony will not have enough strength for abundant flowering if you do not cut off the side buds, the development of which requires nutrients.

How to grow tree and herbaceous peonies in the country?

Tree peonies are planted in late summer and early autumn. It is worth pre-selecting the area on which to plant, as it should be sufficiently light and the sun's rays should be almost constant. In addition, it is worth planting plants away from buildings and trees. The fact is that the flower cannot be left without sunlight. In addition, the quality of the soil is important. It must be clayey, so humus, peat, and turf must be added to ordinary black soil. Clay soil is improved with sand and a variety of organic fertilizers. More information about replanting can be found here and fertilizing the plant can be found here.

tree peonies

Autumn peony transplant step by step

Above we looked at when you can transplant peonies to another place, now let's figure out how to do it correctly. A few weeks before starting work, it is necessary to prepare planting holes for peony bushes. A hole is dug about half a meter deep and the same in diameter. This size is necessary to fill the hole with nutrient substrate.

The procedure for filling the hole is as follows:

river sand (or fine gravel, expanded clay) is poured onto the bottom in a layer of 3–4 cm for drainage;
Next comes rotted manure or compost up to half the volume of the pit;
the top layer is turf soil mixed with ash.

Adding mineral fertilizers when planting peony is not required.

The peony bush is dug up with a pitchfork from different sides, retreating 20-25 cm from the stems

Digging the bush in a circle, swing it, carefully releasing the roots from the soil

The roots of the plant are washed from the soil and inspected. If necessary, cut off damaged parts. Leave in the shade for several hours so that excess moisture leaves the roots and they become less fragile.

The bush is divided into parts using sharp pruners so that each section contains 4-6 growth buds.

To prevent diseases and stimulate growth, peony cuttings are soaked in a solution of Fitosporin or potassium permanganate (deep pink solution), then in Heteroauxin or Kornevin for half an hour.

The cuttings are planted in the hole to a depth of 15-20 cm, without deepening the growth buds! They should be covered with 3-5 cm of soil.
The soil around the bush is pressed well and shed generously.
The foliage of the plant is cut at a height of 15 cm so that the flower does not waste energy maintaining green mass.

How to make peonies bloom if they stubbornly refuse to do so

When growing peonies, it is not always possible to achieve immediate success. Unlike most perennial crops, this plant blooms only a few years after planting. Miscalculations and errors in agricultural technology will not appear immediately. You can still wait for years for the treasured variety to bloom, but there is a chance you won’t get it at all: the bush will grow and develop, but will not produce flowers.

You may not be able to wait for peonies to bloom if you don’t know the basic rules of planting and care. And it also happens that for many years a regularly flowering plant, inherited from your grandmother, ceases to form flower stalks. Let's look at the possible reasons for this situation.

Which variety to choose

Until recently, the choice of varieties in our country was small, and they were simply called “pink”, “white”, “red”. But today popular samples are available to amateur flower growers - in total, about 5 thousand varieties are registered in the world. There are also masterpieces among domestic varieties.

Plants are conventionally divided into 3 groups: herbaceous, tree-like and hybrids. A photo of peonies attracts with the beauty of the flower’s shades, but it’s worth taking a closer look at other features. If the shape of the shrub is small (50 cm - 1 m), then it is a herbaceous variety. It grows every year thanks to new shoots. Trees are shrubs or subshrubs, and the stems do not die off in winter, but become dense like a tree.

Peony hybrids were developed through selection. In color and flower shape they resemble tree-like varieties. But their bush dies off in the winter - like herbaceous plants.

The types and varieties of peonies differ:

coloring of inflorescences;
flower size;
flowering period;
characteristics of the bush (size, shape).

If the priority is the beauty of flowers, you should pay attention to the “Nancy” variety. These peonies are super early and look pretty until frost. In the fall, "Nancy" looks great thanks to its brightly colored leaves.

An interesting choice is Philomel. Plants such as peonies are also popular in Japan, where this variety was bred. The outer petals of the flowers are soft lilac, the inner petals are pale yellow with reddish strokes. The bush is tall and grows quickly.

The variety “Coral Sunset” is also known. True to its name, when flowering changes from coral to yellow. Thus, on one bush you can see inflorescences of different shades.

Peonies have faded: what to do with them next, how to care for peonies after flowering, in August?

It is worth noting that it is worth caring for peonies not only before flowering. Some inexperienced gardeners cut the bushes at the root immediately after the plant blooms. This is incorrect, as it weakens the bush. Next year you risk getting very small flowers and a small number of them, so immediately after flowering, you should not completely cut off the entire bush. Only faded buds are cut off.

In addition, small buds and stumps are left above them. After the plant has flowered, it is necessary to remove all fallen leaves from below, cut off the flowers, and also water with mullein solution. The plant is responsive to organic fertilizers.

Quality of planting material

Firstly, the quality of planting material is of great importance. A good peony division cannot be “starved”, with barely visible flower buds. It should have at least 2-3 buds the size of the knuckle of your little finger and several trimmed stems.

High-quality division. Photo by the author Unscrupulous traders sometimes literally force their “products” on inexperienced buyers, trying to sell off planting material of dubious quality—dried or limp “cores” with barely visible rudimentary buds. Competent sellers store the prepared cuttings in damp sphagnum moss, which preserves its viability, serves as a disinfectant, and maintains optimal humidity.

It cannot be said that the larger the seedling, the better the result - they say, it will bloom faster. Experience shows that the optimal planting material is a piece of rhizome with storage roots the size of an average carrot. Too large ones are cut to the required size, the sections are treated with ash and dried. A good division does not have cavities, rot or other serious flaws. The number of renewal buds should correspond to the size of the rhizome.

The number of buds and storage roots must be balanced. Photo by the author As for the old bushes that refuse to bloom. Apparently, over the years, they have used up their supply of nutrients, and the time has come to divide them and rejuvenate them. We dig up the old bush and divide it. Photo by the author

During this procedure, you have the opportunity to sanitize the roots, removing all the old ones that have served their purpose, rotten or affected by cavities. The remaining ones must be divided and the divisions planted in a new place. Before doing this, you should soak the roots in a disinfectant solution of potassium permanganate or the Maxim drug. I wrote in more detail about the technique of dividing old bushes and planting peonies in the article How to plant peonies, so as not to reap the fruits of your mistakes later.

We disinfect the rhizome to prevent diseases and root rot. Photo by the author

Do not think that transplanting a large adult plant to a new location will guarantee or speed up flowering. In the first year or two, the bush may bloom, but due to the old storage roots, and will not develop new ones at all. Therefore, it is better to plant small pieces of rhizome. Experience has shown that even from some pathetic roots left after division and planted simply out of pity and reluctance to throw away, gorgeous bushes subsequently grew. Be patient.