# Anyone growing Peonies or Dahlias?



## MissQueenie (Feb 15, 2006)

I was seduced into buying a handful of peony and dahlia bulbs (tubers?) at WalMart yesterday, but I was wondering if they should even be planted now. I thought they need a certain number of chilling hours and ought to be planted in fall (I live in N. CA in the foothills at about 2500 ft). I was so suckered by the pretty pictures on the packaging that it wasn't until I was at home that I realized my timing was probably off. :doh: Should I take them back and buy some again in fall when I'm ready to plant?

Darn spring fever! It's almost as bad as falling in love -- maybe worse, since it happens every year! Judgment is out the window.


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## 7thswan (Nov 18, 2008)

They have probably been kept in a cool place. They didn't need cooling anyway like regular bulbs do,they are different. Peony can handle freezing but Dahlia cannot. You will have to dig them in the fall if your area freezes. Most of the large Dahlias will also need to be staked, the flower heads can get very large and will break the stem,so be prepared for that.


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## lhspirited (Jan 31, 2010)

Dahlias should be planted 4-6 inches deep which will give them some protection from frost. And then you can mulch them to protect them further. You can use a wall-o-water to get them off to a good warm start. They like warmth, just like tomatoes. Some dahlia do get large, but I prefer the smaller flowers so I don't need to stake them.

I haven't planted peonies before, but have heard that they're fussy to get going. They may not bloom for a few years.


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## Marcia in MT (May 11, 2002)

I have peonies that came from my great-uncle's yard in Illinois, via my mom's yard also in Illinois -- they are not fussy at all! They bloom spectacularly and are perfectly hardy without protection in my high plains garden (z3b - 4a).

Peonies need full to part sun (at least half a day), regular garden soil, not much fertilizer, and most important of all: to be planted with the eyes on the crown only 1 inch to 2 inches below the surface of the soil. Too deep, and the plants will grow but not flower. And like any perennial that has just been divided, they may take a year or two to come into flower, depending on the size of the division.

I have to cage mine, as the flowers are so large they will flop over in the wind or rain.

Dahlias come in all sorts of varieties, from the large dinnerplate size flowers on tall plants down to the tiny ones on cute little bushes. They weren't even marginally hardy in Seattle, so yes, they have to be dug up and overwintered inside or counted on as an annual -- but I don't know what your climate is like.

Keep the overwintered tubers in something breatheable (cardboard box or paper bag) and bedded in something like spaghnum moss, paper shreds, or wood shavings. Check them once a month, and if they seem to be a bit withered, sprinkle them with water. They make great cut flowers, too.


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## unregistered65598 (Oct 4, 2010)

I planted peonie bulbs 3 years ago, and they still have not bloomed. I planted them in the spring and they did not come up till the next spring. Although the one bush is getting bigger every year, it has no flowers. Maybe I got a flowerless one LOL


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## Marcia in MT (May 11, 2002)

Merks said:


> I planted peonie bulbs 3 years ago, and they still have not bloomed. I planted them in the spring and they did not come up till the next spring. Although the one bush is getting bigger every year, it has no flowers. Maybe I got a flowerless one LOL


You might try checking 2 things: Does the area get at least half a day of sun? Are the eyes at the top of the crown no deeper than 2 inches below the surface of the soil (one inch is better)? Perhaps surrounding vegetation filled in and there is more shade than you thought, or mulch and infiltrating soil have made the crown planted too deeply. I have never heard of a deliberately flowerless variety!


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## Danaus29 (Sep 12, 2005)

If your soil is dry enough you can plant the peonies now. Just make sure to not plant them very deep (eyes should not be more than 2 inches below the surface of the soil). I would mulch them just a little this year to keep weeds out. They won't bloom this year anyway so a little mulch won't hurt.

Plant the dahlias in a big pot and set them someplace where they will be kept cool but not frozen.


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## NickieL (Jun 15, 2007)

dahlias are tubers, not bulbs  and cold is BAD for them. They are tropical, they can do fine over wintering in zone 9 though, where I used to live there was no need to dig them up. Here....they must be dug up every fall. Where you are, so long as you are not getting hard freezes, you can plant them in the ground just fine. As for the peonies....i don;t plant them, never have, never will as ants like them and I'm scared to death of ants! But I havbe heard you can't plant them deep or they will not bloom. They do fine in the ground here year after year, never have to be dug up. They hare the state flower here.


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## frankva (May 21, 2009)

Saw some decent $3 dahlias at Walmart in Ellsworth, ME last week. Paw around for bigger ones.

Taller dahlias that need stalk support can be toughened with a drink of muriate of potash. I use a heavy 1/8 t per gallon water. (Dissolves slow, even in warm water. Crystal turns clear, so be patient.) Still need support, but less apt to break.

Peonies lovers- I have several with sentimental value that I need to move. Rocky clay typical Maine digging.

Suggestions?


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## willow_girl (Dec 7, 2002)

I have bought those early peonies that Wal-Mart puts out to tempt spring-starved gardeners! Shame on them!!!

What I did was to pot them up indoors until it warmed up enough to put them outside. You could do the same thing with the dahlias if you have a sunny area, perhaps in front of a sliding glass door. 

Be warned that dahlias are SLUG MAGNETS!!!! I can't grow them here as the slugs just nom, nom, nom them to nubbins. So if you already have slug problems, beware!


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## sammyd (Mar 11, 2007)

peonies have to be the right depth or you will have nothing but pretty foliage. They are very hardy and almost every yard around here has bunches of them.

Around here Dahlias have to be dug every year and kept out of freezing temps.


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## GoatsRus (Jan 19, 2003)

I stake my peonies with a tomato cage. I cut one of the larger cages down so that the leaves and flowers pretty much disguise the cage. It works perfect.


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## Danaus29 (Sep 12, 2005)

It's best to dig and divide peonies in the fall but I have moved them in spring and summer too. Just dig far enough around and dig deep. I was still finding roots from the one I moved a couple years ago over a foot deep. Replant so the eyes are no more than a couple inches below the surface of the soil. Keep watered for a few weeks if moving them in the spring or summer. Fall peonies I water just the once when I first replant them. Don't cut the foliage back until it's brown and dead. Peonies are one plant you should never cut back when you are replanting if the foliage is green.


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## Paquebot (May 10, 2002)

frankva said:


> Peonies lovers- I have several with sentimental value that I need to move. Rocky clay typical Maine digging.
> 
> Suggestions?


Excavate! Had to move two of mine in April 2002 after having been there since September 1963. The root balls were almost 3' across. After seeing how big they were, dug bigger holes where I wanted them and lined them with several inches of compost. Transported them from A to B by rolling them onto a tarp and dragged to their new holes. Flowered a month later as if they'd never been through any stress.

Martin


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## frankva (May 21, 2009)

So. Just have at it planning on a serious root ball? I always hear "You shouldn't move peonies..." 

I just love digging old stuff around here. But they need to be moved.


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## Danaus29 (Sep 12, 2005)

Or you could divide it and have hundreds of peony plants. Either way will work. When I move mine I divide them. My back won't stand up to moving the old plants whole. And I have lots of room to spread peonies out.


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