Companion FlowersPaeoniaceae
Peonies.
Cool seasonPerennialFall planted
At a glance
The spec sheet.
- Direct sow / out
- September – early November
- Germ
- Purchased roots
- Days to harvest
- Year 3 for full display
- Spacing
- 3 ft
- Depth
- Eyes 1–2" below soil
- Square-foot
- 1 per square
- Qty target
- 3–5 established plants supply weekly bouquets for a month.
Plant
Fall-plant bare-root divisions. CRITICAL: eyes must be 1–2" below the soil surface. Deeper and they'll never bloom.
Care
Ants on buds are normal — they eat sweet exudate, don't harm the plant. Cut foliage to ground in fall. Almost immortal once established.
Harvest
Cut when buds are soft (the 'marshmallow' stage) — they'll open in the vase and last a week. Store dry in fridge for weeks.
Cut buds can be stored dry in the fridge for up to 6 weeks — a florist trick to extend the short season.
Companion planting
What peonies likes, and doesn’t.
Good neighbors
- Perennial borders
- Alliums
- Roses
- Nothing significant
The most fool-proof perennial cut flower — one that outlives most gardeners.
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