Tree Peony Care: How To Grow Tree Peonies

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Learn all the details of how to care for and grow tree peonies. They are long-lived shrubs that love well drained soil and dappled shade, and their show stopping blooms are sure to be the star of your spring garden.

How to grow tree peonies

Although I love all kinds of peonies, I think tree peonies are my favorite.

They have such huge, beautiful flowers that it is hard not to love them!

And what a display they put on in the spring! Once they get going, one tree peony can have 15 or 20 blooms on it at a time.

Even better? They look so stunning that people assume they are hard to grow…and really…nothing could be further from the truth.

In my opinion, if you can have pretty plants with gorgeous flowers that are easy to care for and grow, you have a winner! And tree peonies definitely fall in that category.

Read on to learn all about the details of caring for tree peonies and find out just how little work growing them actually is.

Here’s what we’ll be covering:

Where to plant tree peonies

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Tree peony 'Pluto' blooming in the garden
Tree peony ‘Pluto’

Zone: 4 to 8

First to clear up any misunderstanding…tree peonies aren’t really trees. They are deciduous shrubs.

Unlike standard herbaceous peonies, they have woody stems that do not die all the back to the ground, except in the coldest growing regions.

Size: 3 feet to 8 feet

Tree peonies generally grow wider and taller than the standard herbaceous peony and can reach up to 8′ tall, depending on the variety.

They are fairly slow growers so try to leave them room to expand. If you’re like me, it’s hard to see a “bare spot” in the garden and leave it empty, but they will make it worth your while!

Pink tree peony flower ©Joachim Heller - stock.adobe.com
©Joachim Heller – stock.adobe.com

Growing Conditions

These plants are quite adaptable to many different growing conditions.

They are generally listed as being “full sun” plants, but I have grown them successfully in some fairly shady areas. As long as they get some dappled sun they seem to do just fine.

The huge blooms are susceptible to wind so if you want the flowers to last longer, plant them where they are somewhat protected.

Watering

Finally, they do not like wet roots.

In fact, tree peonies will do better with too little water than too much…so try to avoid planting them in areas that tend to get waterlogged.

To keep the plants happy, let the soil dry out completely before watering deeply.

How To Plant Tree Peonies

Large purple tree peony blooms

When To Plant

The best time to plant tree peonies (especially bare root ones) is in the fall.

This gives the plant time to establish itself and grow roots before it starts to grow in the spring.

Speaking of bare root plants, I am usually a little wary about planting them because I have had some bad luck trying to get some plants to grow.

However, this isn’t the case with tree peonies! I actually got one off the sale rack at Walmart that I didn’t think would survive (it was only $3…I couldn’t resist). Not only did it grow very easily, it’s thriving in a very shady spot!

White tree peony flowers ©Denis - stock.adobe.com
©Denis – stock.adobe.com

Planting Depth

How deep you put the bare root plant depends on whether it is grown on its own rootstock or not.

If it is grafted (many are), you should be able to see a knot where the tree peony was attached to the rootstock.

This graft union should be planted at least 6″ below the soil surface to leave enough room for the stem to create its own root system.

All other types (own root plants and potted plants) should be planted slightly deeper than the previous soil level.

Unlike herbaceous peonies, tree peonies actually do better if they are planted a little too deep rather than a little too shallow.

Soil Amendment

Pink tree peony in bloom

As with most plants, you can give your tree peony a head start by digging a fairly large hole and filling it with a mix of compost and topsoil along with the garden soil.  

Adding a little bone meal into the mix will make your peonies really happy.

Water the new plant, but don’t overwater (the soil should be damp not soaking).  Too much water will cause the root to rot and kill the plant before it has a chance to get started.

Caring For Tree Peonies

Red tree peony flowers

Pruning

The first thing to know about caring for tree peonies is that they set their buds the summer before they bloom.

That means if the stems get cut or break late in the growing season or early in the spring, you will likely see fewer (or no) blooms.

Generally speaking, tree peonies don’t need pruning, other than to remove dead branches.

But if you do need to prune them, make sure to do it in the spring when you can tell where the buds are…and don’t cut them off if you want to keep the flowers :).

Tree Peony 'Pluto' with evergreens and alliums

Some gardeners say that removing the flowers when they have finished blooming, is a good idea (unless you want to grow some seeds). The energy that would have gone into seed production is then used to establish stronger roots which will produce a healthier plant (and hopefully more blooms next year!)  When you do this, cut the flower off at the top of the stem immediately after it is finished blooming to prevent cutting off next year’s blooms and weakening the branch it is growing on.

Having said all that, I usually just let the flowers go to seed 🙂

Plant Support

For some plants, providing support for the flowers may be necessary.

If the flowers are drooping, you may want to install a tomato ring or other type of plant support that will help to keep them upright.

Fertilizing

I very rarely fertilize my tree peonies, however, if you want to give them an extra boost, top dressing with bone meal or adding some rose fertilizer in the early fall will help the blooms in the spring.

Why Aren’t Your Tree Peonies Blooming?

One last note, it takes quite a while for tree peonies to get going.

You may not see any blooms for 3 or 4 years. This is normal so don’t get discouraged…when it does bloom, it will have been worth the wait!

The other main reason that tree peonies don’t bloom is pruning or flower deadheading done at the wrong time. The safest way to prune tree peonies is not to 🙂

Tree Peony Types

There are 3 common varieties of tree peonies plus one hybrid that combines characteristics from its parent tree peony and the standard herbaceous peony.

Peony suffruticosa

Pink and red Peony suffruticosa bloom
©pilialoha – stock.adobe.com

Peony suffruticosa is the most common of the tree peony varieties. It includes most of the hybridized plants that have been created recently, and are usually pink, purple, red or white in color.

Peony lutea

Yellow peony lutea bloom ©progarten - stock.adobe.com
©progarten – stock.adobe.com

Peony lutea is the only true yellow tree peony. It is a native variety that grows to about 6′ tall and wide and has smaller 2″ flowers. It does best in zones 7 and 8 as it tends to die back in the winter in cooler zones (although if you plant it in a sheltered location you may still have good luck with it).

Peony rockii

Peony rockii flower ©LuckyRiga - stock.adobe.com
©LuckyRiga – stock.adobe.com

Peony rockii or Gansu tree peonies are a subset of the Peony suffruticosa variety that is known for flowers that have purple centers.

It is native to the forests of Northwest China and prefers to be grown in the dappled shade that mimics its normal habitat.

This makes them perfect for growing in your shade garden at home.

Itoh Peonies

Itoh peony 'Cora Louise' flower with white petals and pink and yellow center ©Gerry - stock.adobe.com
Itoh peony ‘Cora Louise’ ©Gerry – stock.adobe.com

Itoh peonies are a cross between a tree peony and a herbaceous peony.

They have the strong stems and large flowers of a tree peony but come back from the ground every year like a herbaceous peony.

This makes them a great choice if you want large blooms on a smaller sized plant.

Click HERE to find a great selection of tree peonies for sale.

Now I’m ready to go out and find a few more of these beauties for my garden…and hopefully, you are, too!

Other Gardening Ideas You Might Like

Have comments or questions on how to grow tree peonies? Tell us in the section below.


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How to grow gorgeous tree peonies

This post was originally published on June 9, 2017 but was updated with new content on March 25, 2024.


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29 Comments

  1. Wow, so beautiful. I love peonies, and have a few in my yard, but had no idea they grew in tree from. How beautiful.

    1. Thanks, Ivory! The tree peonies really do put on a show.

  2. Hi, I live in South Louisiana and would love to grow peonies. What would be the best variety to grow here?

    1. Hi Jenifer…In South Louisiana, I think it will be tricky to grow the regular herbaceous peonies (it’s probably a little too warm). But if you want to try, I usually find the ones which bloom early (before it gets too hot) do the best. In my South Carolina garden, I have had good luck with ‘Festiva Maxima’ and ‘Kansas’. You can find some more recommendations on one of my favorite online peony sites: http://peonysenvy.com/peonycare.html#south.

      Tree peonies are a little more tolerant of the heat so you might have more success with them. I have had good luck with ‘Shima Daijin’. My favorite online site for tree peonies is here: http://peonyparadise.com/treepeonies.aspx.

      Hope that helps!

  3. Danielle Garner says:

    How long do blooms on the suffruticosa’s blooms last? I have been thinking about getting one, but can find very little info on them.

    1. Hi Danielle…the flowers on my tree peonies usually bloom for 2 to 3 weeks, but it depends somewhat on the weather. If there’s a lot of wind, heavy rain or if it gets too warm, they don’t last as long.

  4. S h e r i says:

    Can you divide a tree peony?

    1. Hi Sheri…I have never tried to divide a tree peony, so I don’t know for sure. But the ones I have in my garden only have one stem (kind of like any other tree), so it doesn’t seem like it dividing would be possible.

  5. Thank you so much for all of the great info! I had never heard of tree peonies and am excited to incorporate them into my new garden! I was curious though, what is the plant with the tree peony in the picture posted under pruning? It has silver green leaves and light purple flowers? It’s a beautiful combo! So I’m curious of what it is. 🙂 Thank you!

    1. Wanda Simone says:

      Hi Amanda…the tree peonies are beautiful! I think every garden should have one 🙂 That picture is a little misleading…the silver-green leaves and purple flowers are actually 2 plants growing together. The green is a low-growing juniper (I’m not sure of the exact variety, but “Silver Mist” would be similar). And the purple flowers are Allium bulbs. If you plant the bulbs around the base of the juniper, they will grow up through the evergreen branches and it does look really pretty.

    2. William Patrick says:

      If you want more Peony trees after they flower take the seed about the size of a nut and plant in a pot it takes a while to grow but it will I do it quite often.

      1. Wanda Simone says:

        Thanks for the suggestion, William! I’ll have to try that 🙂

  6. Thank you so much! The juniper and Allium does sound like a wonderful idea. I do love Allium so makes sense that I liked this photo! Thank you again!

  7. J.D. CHESTER says:

    do they bloom more than once

    1. Wanda Simone says:

      Unfortunately, no…Tree peonies only bloom once in the spring.

    2. Hi Wanda I didn’t know that peonies come in tree like form. I’ll have to get one. I’ve only the other type from my local Costco in Central CA. I recently purchased 3 with lovely blooms to try my luck again because I have one plant that I also bought at Costco some years ago and has never bloomed flowers again. Can you tell me what I am not doing or doing wrong? Thank you, Cynthia

      1. Wanda Simone says:

        Hi Cynthia…regular peonies can be a bit tricky to get planted properly. If it’s not blooming, it could be that it’s planted too deep, it doesn’t get enough sun, or it’s getting too much fertilizer.

  8. Joyce Patten says:

    Shall I cut off what looks like seed pods after the peonies have bloomed?

    1. Wanda Simone says:

      Hi Joyce…I usually do just because I think it looks better. But I don’t think it’s an issue if you don’t…In other words, it’s really up to you 🙂

  9. Errol Hebert says:

    I understand some tree peonies grow one stem or stalk and branch out from this stalk, while another type of tree peony has several shoots or stalks that grow from the ground. Can you please explain what the names are for these two different types of tree peonies. Thank you

    1. Wanda Simone says:

      Hi Errol…While what you’re saying is true, I am not aware of specific tree peony types that have single stems vs multi-stems. I do often see it specified in the description of different varieties of tree peony, so that’s where I would look if you want to make sure you’re getting one or the other.

    2. Lindi Griffiths says:

      Hi. I just bought two smaller ones, about 2 feet tall and I planted them in pots to put on my patio. Is that okay for a year or two and if so do I need to bring them in the garage in winter?

      1. Wanda Simone says:

        Hi Lindi…As long as the pots are big enough, they should be fine for a year or two, even in the winter. But if you want to be on the safe side, you could bring them in. Just remember to water occasionally.

  10. Elaine Thompson says:

    I have heard that if you cut off the seed pods after blooming,you will not get new blooms next year.I did and did not get the blooms the next year.

    1. Wanda Simone says:

      Hi Elaine…Tree peonies start setting their buds for next year soon after they have finished blooming this year. So if you’re going to deadhead them, you need to do it immediately after the flowers are done (and don’t take too much off the stem). Otherwise, you will likely cut off next year’s blooms.

  11. I would like to know where I can get one of these plants esp large pink

    1. Wanda Simone says:

      Hi…you can usually find tree peonies in nurseries in the spring. I have also bought them from online from Peony’s Envy. They aren’t selling any right now, but you can sign up for their catalog and they’ll send you the list when they’re available.

  12. Emmy reade says:

    Hi ! I planted a tree peony( about 5 yrs ago ) in the same location as my regular peonies.. It has never bloomed but the foliage is strong and it grows.. however, the others are prolific bloomers year after year… Any suggestions as to what’s going on? I’m so disappointed !
    Thanks
    Emmy

    1. Wanda Simone says:

      Hi Emmy…tree peonies can take a few years to get going, so you may just have to be patient 🙂 But it’s also possible that it is not planted deep enough. Unlike regular peonies, tree peonies actually prefer to have the crown buried at least 2 inches down. So if yours is too close to the top of the soil, you could try mounding a couple of inches of soil around the base of it to see if that helps.