Why fall is the best time to plant peonies

Fall is the absolute best time to plant peonies. That’s why you often see them for sale as bare roots in the fall. We, of course, sell them in this way!

There’s one main reason why fall is the best time and it all has to do with the magic of roots.

We start to dig our peony roots for shipping usually in late September or early October, depending on the weather. I like to wait until after some significant rain events for a couple reasons. One is that the ground is easier to dig into! And second, the roots are nice and hydrated with plump eye buds. After harvest, we send them off to you ASAP!

When you get the roots and plant them in the ground magic happens.

Cooler fall temperatures signal to the plant to begin to develop new small roots. Nearly all root growth is done in the fall season. These smaller roots will grow and develop all the way until the ground freezes solid. Come spring, those new roots will help your peony transport water and nutrients that make for a healthy plant.

The same reasons above are why dividing the peonies you already have is also a task best completed in fall.

When bare root peonies are planted in spring, they immediately have to begin producing stems, leaves, and sometimes flowers. This leads to a lot more stress for the root, that hasn’t had any time to settle in and develop any new growth just yet for a support system.