Gardening Techniques and Propagating Peony Seeds

There is always much to know about plant care and propogation. Though I know how to identify and basically grow flowers, I'm missing so much information about specific, special needs plants so I set out to educate myself with a bunch of good gardening books and gardening know-how websites online. Subjects covered..annuals, perennials, bulbs, roses, etc. I get used books cheap online then study them like college textbooks, focusing on the topics that matter most to my garden. Seems to be going well so far. It's also really helpful to read what the experts and Master Gardeners do via message boards such as GardenGuides.com.

The rose bushes given to my mother and I by a kind nursery owner are all doing great now. She has two and I have two. Books told me what I needed to know to get the bushes cleaned up, medicated and decontaminated. They look so much better as leaves and buds appear. I thank the Master Gardener at my local County Extension Service, where Master Gardeners are reachable by phone. I talked to one about various plants and she was very informative.

Next on my list of things to do is grow herbaceous peony plants from seed. I bought two types of very showy, uncommon peony seeds directly from China on Ebay and now will seek guidance on how to grow them. Apparently from what I read, many types of peonies take at least five years to begin flowering. Well, it's going to take awhile but I'll give it a shot. According to the instructions I got, the seeds will be planted in October (here, inside). If you are interesting in propogating peonies from seeds, here are instructions straight from the Chinese..and they REALLY know their peonies:

In mid-August, collect the mature seed pods (brown-yellowish color) and put them at a cool location, until the seed pod splits, take the seeds out. Do not dry and avoid sunlight. Seeds too dry will lower the germination rates. Prepare the planting location, cultivate deeply with compost, manure and water deeply. Use wet soil to make a "cake" about 2-3 inches high, 1 squre foot. Place the seeds with 1 1/2 inches spacing on top of the cake, then add another inch wet soil over them. Use floating row cover to protect the seeds and keep the soil moist. In about 20 days the seeds will start rooting underground, but you won't see anything above ground until spring. If planting too late or the soil too dry, then you might never see any seeds germinating next year. In dry winter climates, water deeply right before the ground become frozen. In spring, around the time when the peach flowers (usually mid to late Feb in China), remove the floating row cover, lightly rake the ground surface so the seedlings will break out easier. In a couple of weeks, you should be able to see the seedlings.

I have no idea who to credit these instructions from. If you know, contact me and I'll include it. It was from an anonymous post on a gardening site.


A beautiful deep red-violet Peony flower from my mother's bush.