When I moved to Calgary in 1992, the yard of my new home had a blue spruce tree, a few shrubs,
rhubarb, and a lawn yellowed by dandelions. We took possession at the beginning of June. That summer, I should have sat back and observed the space, planned, and ordered compost for top dressing the lawn. Instead, excited to grow, I planted annuals and vegetable seeds in the bare earth next to the shrubs under the eaves.
It was not a stellar gardening year. Th e neighbourhood cats liked their under-the-eave litterbox. The late June planting, cool soil temperatures and depleted soils did not create conditions where plants thrived.
The second year, I decided to begin a perennial garden. To celebrate Canada Day, I purchased
two peonies. Two is a poor design decision, as two plants are hard to place for visual impact, but tight budgets reined. While I did not know how peonies would do in Calgary, I was familiar with them as most of the gardens in the zone 3 area of Northern Ontario where I grew up had at least one. None of these gardeners liked to fuss in their gardens, so I knew the plants were tough and required little maintenance. I also knew that they could become sizable plants quickly, and even though they bloom for a brief period, their foliage is beautiful and would provide a backdrop for future plants.
I chose herbaceous peonies. Herbaceous peonies die back each fall and grow fresh from the
crown each spring. The dead leaves should be cleaned up in the fall to prevent overwintering a
soil-borne fungus that parasitizes plants. After three years, they should not need supplemental watering. If you choose one with bomb or full double flowers, then a support is required, or the flowers will fall to the ground when it rains.
If you want a peony that supports pollinators, then choose a cultivar that has pollen-bearing stamens (the stalk and pollen-bearing portion of a flower). While still beautiful and fragrant, they have fewer petals, but this also means that they usually do not require support.
Peonies do very well in Calgary. One of the best places to see a variety of them is at the Botanical Gardens of Silver Springs. They have May-blooming fern-leaf peonies. I visited their full-sun peony garden on July 1 and was amazed with how many plants were in bloom, displaying buds for blooms to come. If you have more shade, then consider a woodland species, and visit Reader Rock Garden in June.
You can plant nursery containers from garden centres at any time, but they will need to be monitored and watered all summer. If you are ordering peonies online, expect a fall delivery. If a friend is sharing peonies with you, wait until fall when the plant is going dormant to dig, divide, and replant it.
Never plant the crown deeper than 5 cm below the surface or the peony may not bloom. Usually, you will see pink sections on the stems near the crown. The top of that area should be just above
the surface of the ground. Keep in mind that after planting, you may not have blooms for three years. During the first year, perennial plants acclimatize to their new space. The next year, the plants establish a rigorous root system, and then, if conditions are right, they will produce blooms for seed-based reproduction.
If you are looking for a plant you will love in your garden, grow a peony. Thirty-plus years later, and several replantings, mine are still blooming.
