Growing, Splitting and Dry-Storing Peonies.

Peonies are the alpha flower in the floral world. This springtime bloom is favoured in the bridal industry and sells for often $12 a stem (based on personal experience). While this plant variety produces great harvest supply off of one single plant, this bloom offers a brief window for harvest. Keep reading, because I am going to tell you how to make the most of your peony investment and store your peonies to be used at a later date.

Let’s start with the roots. Roots are the anatomy of perennial plants that keep them alive during the winter season. My peonies grow in zone 5b and are hardy through temperatures of nearly -40C. While they are resilient of these temperatures, the peony is fickle as all get out. Peonies don’t enjoy their roots being touched - when I split a plant that has bloomed earlier in the season, I know that it likely will not bloom the following season. For example, a peony bush that bloomed during Spring 2022 that I divided and planted in a new location during Fall 2022 did not bloom during Spring 2023. The propagated plant was sizeable, but did not produce blooms. So, while I think that it is excellent to rehome a plant in a space that will provide it with space and increase your eventual stock, this requires patience.

To split your peonies, it is similar to splitting dahlias. You will want to make sure that your plant includes 3ish eyes and a body. The body of the root is where all of the nutrients will be stored, it is what allows it to overwinter and exit dormancy come spring. The eyes are necessary because this is the part of the anatomy in which a stem with emerge from. Maintaining about 3 eyes on a new peony will increase your chances for survival during the winter months, and with more shoots the following season, the more opportunity the plant will have to photosynthesize. I like to minimally disturb my peony plants; I uncover the roots with my hand and split them with a sanitized Exacto Knife.

Peonies cut from the garden.