It’s November, and it’s 80 degrees out. It’s not wet, but it is rainy. The soil is a bit moist, warm, and humid. It almost feels like spring, even though the calendar reads November. But, as we know, peonies don’t read calendars.
Professionally, I’ve spent years trying to convey that fall planting should be done when it’s cool—not warm. Running a retail peony business makes this message challenging to communicate. So many customers are eager to plant their peonies as soon as they receive them. Who wouldn’t want to see those beautiful blooms? But the real question is: when is the best time to plant to ensure the greatest success? Ultimately, we all want a beautiful, flowering garden peony.
The key to successful peony planting is understanding what the peony root needs most. Ideally, it should experience cooler soil temperatures—around 55 degrees—and slightly sunny or overcast days for a few weeks to prepare it for winter dormancy. Remember, the peony you’re planting is meant to think it’s winter and stay asleep, not to go into warm soil, feel the warmth, and start thinking it’s spring. We don’t want our peonies to wake up until March, at the earliest.
In the southern half of North America, it’s actually best to plant peonies, daffodils, and tulips later—more like December, not October. But I completely understand the anticipation, and we aim to support that excitement. Every year, I spend considerable time deciding when to start shipping, based on the conditions. I’m grateful that, thanks to our supply chain and the support of our customers, I can adjust our shipments from our suppliers based on yearly weather variations.
This year has been one of the most complex seasons yet, with above-average temperatures and below-average rainfall across North America. I decided to delay shipping so that customers in regions like Georgia, Tennessee, and New Jersey—indeed, most of North America—wouldn’t be planting their peonies in warm soil that could trigger a “spring-like” response in the root rather than a “fall” one.
Shipping has now started, with our northern customers receiving their peonies first, as their temperatures are starting to cool. Mountain West customers, where the weather has been cooling, have also received theirs. But I delayed shipments for our southern customers, especially in areas like Georgia, to give them the best chance for success. The ideal setup is on the horizon, with cooler nighttime temperatures dipping into the 40s. As long as these nighttime temperatures remain cool, the peonies will stay chilled and dormant.
Every garden season is different, and every planting year has its own rhythm. Gardens don’t follow calendars—they follow nature. Nature tells the gardener what to do far more than the gardener instructs nature.