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| How to grow tree peonies from seed |
If you can't appreciate the beauty of a tree peony in full bloom then there must be something wrong with both your mind and your heart. Why, because their loveliness is arguably beyond compare. However you rarely see them in people's gardens which is a real shame, but there is good reason for this - they are expensive!
If hard cash isn't an issue for you there are some other reasons too, mainly that when they become available in the spring you are presented with little more than an unsightly, crooked stick in a pot with a picture card to hint at its potential. More importantly is that fancy selected peony hybrids do not grow from seed and so to get the one in the picture they are vegetatively propagated using one of the many time consuming and technical grafting methods - hence why they are expensive. So assuming the picture card is on the right plant, the price is reasonable and the graft has taken successfully then go ahead and pick one up.
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| Tree peony seeds in opened seed pod |
However if like me you have access to many quality private and public gardens you should be able to find a selection of mature specimen plants from which to collect our own seed.
Like I said, cultivated hybrids will not grow true to the parent form from seed however this doesn't mean that if you germinate enough of them you may produce something even better and have it displayed on the next cover girl for Peony fanciers monthly. So, if you are still interested, how do you grow tree peonies from seed? Oh just one more thing before you start on this great adventure, tree peony seeds can take up to two years to germinate and then a further five to seven years to produce blooms.
The varying tree peony cultivars will flower at different times of the year, but from the end of the summer until around November, the seeds pods would have ripened and split allowing to you easily pick out the seeds. If you are late and the pods are empty don't worry, peony seeds are large and the sharp eyed among you should be able to pick them off of the floor, so long as no-one else had been around and trod them into the ground by accident.
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| Tree peony seedling |
Place your seeds in a bowl of tepid water and discard any that float as these are not likely to be viable. Place the good seeds inside a large sealable plastic bag along with a cup full or so of damp vermiculite or perlite. Seal the bag and move to a warm dark. Do not put inside a airing cupboard unless you can guarantee that temperatures do go rise above 20 degrees Celsius. Be aware that temperature over 40 degrees celsius can heat sterilize your seeds so don't do that.
Check the bag every few days to make sure it is kept damp and for evidence of germination, this will be the emergence of a single, translucent white root. Remove any germinating seeds you find taking care not to damage the brittle root. Take a 9-12 cm pot and fill with a good quality soil-based compost such as John Innes 'Seed and Cutting'. Using a dibber or a convenient finger, drill a hole into the middle of the compost and gently place the peony seed inside so that it is buried just below the surface. Back-fill the hole still avoiding damage to the root.
Water in the compost then place outside in a cool shaded place, preferably a cold frame. Keep the soil moist but not waterlogged and if necessary place a sheet of glass or clear plastic over the pot to help maintain humidity.
The following year the seedlings can be planted outside into their final position once their foliage has died back for the autumn. For those of you in areas which regularly experience freezing temperatures provide a dry mulch over the rootball area to help protect against cold damage to the young root system.
For related articles click onto the following links:
HOW TO GROW TREE PEONIES FROM SEED
HOW TO GROW PEONIES
HOW TO GROW PEONIES FROM SEED
HOW TO GROW THE TREE PEONY
HOW TO OVERWINTER TREE PEONIES
PAEONIA lactiflora 'Bowl of Beauty'
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