For many years, I heard that peonies cannot be grown in California. The reasons: it is in the wrong part of the country, it is too warm here, and finally, “it just won't work.” I really did, until I went to Fioli with a horticulture class. Marsha, the instructor, felt that her students needed some eye-opening examples of the kind of gardening we mere students could do IF we had the time, the money, and the extra gardeners a historic estate had.
The roses, the camellias, and the fabulous vines clinging to the back of the brick mansion looked as though the bricks were draped with sheer white lace! But, what was this: a peony bed full of delicate pink and white blooms; the scent from these blooming flowers was heavenly. But these were peonies, and they were thriving and blooming -- things that I had been told were impossible! I had to know the secret behind all of this!
I timidly went to speak to a nearby gardener, excused myself, and asked about the secrets of growing peonies. Laughing, he explained the secret: for herbaceous peonies (P. lactiflora) to grow and thrive, they need a good chilly winter. Here, in the coastal area of California, with no snow, putting a bag of ice over the peony bed once or twice during the average winter will give the peonies the cold they crave. Easy peasy!
With that information, I was off to the races (as they say) to grow peonies in a raised bed in the side yard. Unfortunately, after a few years, we had a very wet winter and the rhizomes drowned, since then I have been growing them in pots since my yard is less than 5 feet above the water table in Suisun City. I have also gone from the herbaceous varieties to the Itoh varieties, which require less chilling time and have HUGE flowers of yellow, deep maroon, and coppery colors and do not require as much sunlight.
This year, I am trying another herbaceous peony – in a pot this time, to see if all goes well. Since the rhizomes cost between $6 at the big box stores and over $100 from specialty growers, I am not going all in – this time.
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