Peonies thrive in hot and dry summers in Arizona, which requires full sun in the morning and some shade in the afternoon. Planting in an area with afternoon shade, such as next to a wall or fence, can help protect the peonies from the heat and sun. The best peony varieties to grow in Arizona include those with fertile, well-drained soil with a pH of 6.0 – 7.0 or as acidic as possible in the Arizona mountains.
Planting peonies is easy once established, and they are known for their delicate and fragrant flowers. They require moist, well-drained soil, 1 to 2 inches of water weekly, and mulch to help them grow. Peonies can be grown in most climates but do not thrive in zones 9 and above due to their need for cold temperatures in winter. They require between 500-1000 winter chilling hours (approximately 3 to 6 weeks) and between 32-40 degrees F to flower successfully.
Peony plants should be supported with stakes or hoops, just like tomatoes, to support them during the colder months. If morning sun and afternoon shade are not possible, plant peonies near a large shrub. Consistent watering is recommended, but it is important to monitor moisture levels to ensure they don’t dry out.
Peonies often take a few years to produce flowers, and planting a bare root peony could take two to three years. Learn how to grow and care for peonies with this comprehensive guide.
📹 Growing PEONIES in the Napa Valley aka USDA Zone 9
A garden filled with peonies blooms sounds pretty nice! But COLD WEATHER is what triggers peonies to bloom and here in the …
📹 Holidays in the Garden Day 12! :: Pouring Ice On My Peonies?! :: Zone 9b Peony Update!
Planting Peonies in Warm Climates Video : https://youtu.be/6gm-oJ6vcHQ Don’t Get Fooled By Your Gardening Zone Video …
Janey, my uncle who lived in Southern CA, had beautiful peonies every year (he grew up in zone 5a and loved peonies). In order to get his peonies to bloom, he froze thick blocks of ice in cake pans, to place on the peony plants. He did that every 3-4 days and covered the ice with small Styrofoam coolers (like the ones from Omaha Steaks) to keep the ice from melting so fast and keep the plants cold longer. In later years, he used Refreezeable cooler icepacks (2 per plant so one could be in his freezer, while the other one was on the plant). He would swap out the icepacks but leave the coolers covering the plants the entire chill time, to protect the crown of the peony from heat. He used bricks to keep the coolers from blowing away. I hope this is helpful. I’m excited for you to have lovely peony blooms next spring! ~Margie🤗☃❄ Oh, by the way, the little picture (next to my name) is my Sorbet Peony, and I love it! ❤
Janey, I’m wondering if 1 ice pour per week is enough? If 3 weeks total of cold temps are required, then 21 days are needed. At least. A thermometer might help to take their temps😸 at intervals after pouring ice to see how long the roots stay cold? I hope this works for you, Peonies are truly beautiful.🤞
I am in zone 9a – 9b in the South Island of New Zealand. I have recently found out that they don’t like being buried too deep, so that’s quite good to know as that is the biggest reason for no flowers. I push the boundaries when it comes to planting and I will try growing something that people will tell me won’t grow in my region. I love proving them wrong, lol! I have some beautiful peonies and have just recently grown Kelways glorious, a beautiful white double peonie.
I live Canada and yes we all get the chill time all across our nation and yes it makes growing the garden easy however there are times that I become jealous of your growing season and warm weather. We all love what we grow and learn in gardening and we all love where we live but there are times when one place has weather or temperatures that we all need. Enjoy and have a wonderful day.
Janey, do you mean Sarah Bernhardt rather than “Sandra”? If so, we have good luck with that cultivar as well as Festiva Maxima in our warm Georgia climate. Hope you do well with all of yours. We actually plant ours with the nodes ABOVE the soil to allow them to get the cold they need. They get better and better each year.
I love your dedication Janey… I too would do something like this, except being in Southern California you’ve got a better chance of this working than I do. I too LOVE peony’s! When you mentioned putting ice on your plants I imagined you using big bags of ice per plant. Only good vibes as I think/say… for the best chance of this to work, I think I’d try placing frozen ice packs/or way more ice on the plants in the evening when temps will be cooler for a longer period of time, as opposed to the day. I would also do it more frequently than once a week, so they really get the chill they need. I am cheering you on from afar and sending best wishes for this to work! Happy gardening Janey!!
Hi Janey, thank you for the peonies update 😊. I had messaged you about them a few weeks ago. I planted 9 tubers in 15 gal grow pots last weekend. I live in Las Vegas, Nevada zone 8b. I have my fingers crossed that the will grow. I have 4 own root roses, 2 limelight hydrangeas, 1 pinky winky hydrangeas tree that did ok ( they struggled a bit and needed more water)in the hottest part of the summer so we will see how the peonies do
I have peonies! I planted them 11 years ago and they come back every year, however, I was expecting to be able to divide them and have lots of plants already…not so. Lots of people in my area say they can’t get them to come back, so I contented myself with their survival. I planted them in the middle of three walls. They get cold deep shade all winter. Maybe that’s why they’re still alive?😆 I was planning on moving them this month to a sunnier spot, but maybe I shouldn’t…😳 SC zone 8a
Hi Janey, hope your peonies come through for you this year. Don’t you mean “Sarah Bernhardt” instead of “Sandra?” 😉 I successfully grew beautiful peonies several years ago here in Texas where I had many more trees and some shade and I did the ice over them back then like you are doing now. Then we moved and I have little shady areas in my garden now. I still planted peonies only I forgot and allowed our yard guys to plant them and they totally planted them too deep. They leafed out but of course, didn’t bloom. I’m going to start over with more in another area on the north side of my garden and do “all the things” I did before and those that you shared. And hey, I still can’t seem to find the sunset zone for my area here in the Dallas area. Are sunset zones only in California? I’ll have to go back and watch your article again on that subject. Thanks again for this great series!
Curious if this same technique, with the ice, could be used to get a lilac to bloom in zone 8? I have seen a couple of varieties that are supposed to bloom even if there isn’t much of a cold period. You’ve sparked my curiosity and hope with this article Janey! Thanks for posting! Going to give peonies another go here in Texas 8b also!
Hello, im from the philippines, I was asking for a question before I planted peonies for my beginning. Do peonies thrive in tropics or humid climate in containers? What if I planted peony tubers in containers from tropical climates? After flowering and die, should I put some ice cubes like store in a cool place in a room because i live in the tropical climate like philippines?