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A. Soil Preparation

• Peonies like a sunny location, either in full sun or shaded only a small part of the day.
• They must have good drainage. They will not tolerate wet feet. Water should never stand over them.
• They will grow in any good garden soil. Sandy soils make more foliage and less blooms. A clay soil makes slower growth but better flowers.

When planting the roots, dig each hole large enough to easily accommodate the root without crowding it. The hole should be dug to a depth of 1 to 2 feet according to the amendments the soil may need. In the bottom of the hole mix thoroughly some good garden fertilizer, such as 20% super-phosphate, bone meal, or one not too rich in nitrogen. Rotted manure is advised against, as it may bring in disease. The eyes of the root should be as near two inches below the normal surface as possible. Then fill in around the root with the soil, working it in with your fingers, until no voids are left below the plant or among the roots. Water well.

We harvest our peonies from mid-May to late-May, but are able to store the blooms for later use until mid-summer. You can do the same in your home refrigerator. Although you probably can't keep your refrigerator cold enough to store peonies until mid-summer, you can keep them for several weeks.

Peonies are cut when the flower bud FEELS like a soft marshmallow. (This does vary a little with each variety, but this is a good rule of thumb.) We harvest several time a day, as the peonies can change their "feel quickly.

After cutting the peony, with about 14 - 16" stem, we bring the flowers into the shade, pull off the majority of leaves (leaving one or two), and bunch them in bunches of up to 10 stems. I turn the bunches up-side-down, and bop their heads on the table (bringing all the heads to the same level). After bunches are made, wrap in dry newspaper or heavy cellophane, cover the heads, but leaving the bottom of the stems open. This allows for some air flow, but keeps the blooms from popping open.

Keep you refrigerator as cold as possible, but not freezing! If you wrap in newspaper, and the paper seems wet, take the peonies out and rewrap in dry paper.