How to Plant Peonies in Containers
Peonies can add large, lavish blooms to any landscape. Many people don't have room for traditional gardens, however, and worry that the often tricky peony won't do well if trapped in a container. The key to growing stunning peonies when you don't have the space to put them in the ground is to plant them in a container that will allow them the optimum space for roots to grow and the plant to flourish. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- Peony plant (herbaceous, tree or intersectional)
- Decorative, large container
- Root control bag
- Soil
- Spade
- Low-nitrogen fertilizer
Instructions
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1
Choose the type and color of peony you wish to grow. Peonies come in three basic types: herbaceous, tree and intersectional.There are a large variety of colors available, so choose one that is in a hue that you prefer.
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2
Plant the peony in a root control bag that has a good mixture of topsoil and perlite for draining. Peonies are prone to rot if the soil mixture is too moist so do not use a normal potting mix. The recommended mixture is 65 percent well-draining topsoil and 35 percent perlite. Since peonies have a complex root system, the root control bags will offer more air circulation, preventing rot, and allow the roots to grow better by offering the flexibility of root hairs to grow through the bag.
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3
Fertilize the peony with a low nitrogen fertilizer about four times a year. Fertilize when the stems first emerge, then when they are three to four inches high, then right after flowering and again just before winter sets in.
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Place the potted peony in a decorative container that has good drainage holes and is large enough to allow for some growth of the plant's roots.
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Place your potted peony in full sun. For tree peonies, you can move them to a shaded area after blooming, but the herbaceous types prefer full sun all the time.
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Tips & Warnings
You may need to stake your peonies as they get larger. The flowers are frequently very large and heavy. The stems may need support.
Herbaceous, or bush, peonies completely die to the ground every year and come back the following spring. Tree peonies have woody stems that stay, above ground, even after they lose their leaves in the fall. Intersectional peonies are a hybrid of the two types, combining the decorative leaves of a tree peony but dying to the ground as herbaceous peonies do.
All peonies will need to be replanted when grown in containers as they do become root bound.
