Growing peonies from seed is as easy as growing carrots, except it takes a little longer (about 3-5 years). However, the results are much more satisfying.

There are two approaches that we have found will have good success.

In late summer/early autumn we collect seed pods from many different varieties. These are strictly open pollinated seeds, so the variety is huge. Just let the pods dry in an open container and then remove the seeds. The pods begin to crack as the seeds ripen.

You have the option of planting the mature seeds outdoors or indoors.

OUTDOOR PROCEDURE:

Use the seeds as soon as they are fully ripe. Prepare a place for a cot somewhere in your garden. Simply plant peony seeds much like you would beans. Insert a marker label to delimit the area.

Most seeds should make a shoot in the coming spring/summer months.

Outdoor planting in early autumn gives the seeds their obligatory warm moist treatment, winter’s cold treatment followed by spring’s warming. This sequence is the one mimicked by the indoor treatment.

INDOOR PROCEDURE:

About early October, fill 4-6 inch pots with moist potting soil. Plant the seeds ~4 cm. apart and ~ 2-21/2 cm. depth. If you wish, you can spray the soil with a fungicide (such as “No-moisture”) or treat the seeds with some “bulb” dust. Rotting is usually not a problem.

Place the pots in plastic bags for food storage. Tie with a twist tie and place in a warm place (~20 degrees C), leave for about 3 months. During this period, the root and also a root system will develop. Soil can be carefully removed for periodic inspection without damaging the small plants. Just replace the soil and put back in the bags.

When the rotor and roots are sufficiently developed, place the pots in a cold place (just above freezing). The old refrigerator in the basement is great for this purpose! Leave cold for 2/3/4/months…until SPRING!

Choose a place in the garden for a nursery bed. Carefully knock the soil and plants out of the pot (keep it intact as much as possible) and plant at the same depth as in the pot. Insert a plant marker with the plant information. Keep the planting area moist (compost material). Throughout the summer you will see the first leaves appear. Some plants may not put out leaves until next spring…be patient. Leave the small plants over the winter (an additional layer of compost will help them overwinter without heaving) until August-September of the following year. At this point, transplant about 1 foot apart and at the same depth as the plant grew. The small peony roots look a bit like coarse-rooted carrots.

With a little luck (and good care) you may get some blooms the following year (3rd year). You can expect a lot of flowering in years 4 and 5.

What fun… what excitement and what satisfaction to see the first peony flower from your own plants! Flowers that no one in all this wide world has seen before!