It’s not too late to plant peonies

Even here in Minnesota we have plenty of time to plant peonies yet! You can do so all the way up until the ground is frozen and you can’t get the shovel in.

Even if you’ve had a frost, freeze or even hard freeze, the actual soil in the ground isn’t frozen yet. And that’s a good thing if you still want to plant some peonies this fall.

Whether you are looking to divide your own or purchase new, there’s still plenty of time. You do want to give your peony roots a little time to settle in and grow into their new surroundings before the big freeze. On average, even here in Minnesota our ground doesn’t freeze until into December so you’ve got some time.

If you can get the shovel in the ground, you can plant peonies… even if that means it’s Christmas time!

Those of you in coldern, northern zones like us in Minnesota would ideally plant late September into early November. Folks farther south can extend that peak window into early December. But even if it’s beyond this period that’s ok.

We’ve talked a lot in these newsletters about how peony roots do their growing in the cool fall season before they focus on above ground growth in the spring. This is why we transplant and divide peonies this time of year.

PS, this same rule goes for spring bulbs too!