Hello,

I am new to the forum and wanted to say all the pictures posted of the tree peonies are gorgeous! Now I want another one. 🤣

I purchased my first tree Peony at the beginning of May and within a week it bloomed. I kept it in the house because of the cold nights. Could that be why it bloomed so fast? Or is that normal? The label that came with it says it is a Koukamon.

Thank you Frillylily 😁

Geni!

It looks like you did get a true Koukamon. It has the signature white edges. Congrats! Those peonies in a box don't always bloom true.

I hope you do get some more woody peonies, as they get better with age.

@Jasmin lives in Toronto, so she would be great to provide advice. I live in Middle Tennessee, and we are much warmer.

Genie, welcome to the forum.
Congratulation, you got your first Tree Peony, and it is a beautiful one.
Now, the most important thing is to plant it right; that is, deep enough. I would plant it asap because we already have summer temperatures. The pot is too small, the peony may dry out, etc.
TPs must be planted deep because they need to develop their own roots from the grafted stems, (i.e., scions). It is usually recommended to plant the scion circa 6" deep, but I've planted mine even deeper (e.g., 8") because of our harsh climate.

You need to decide where to plant. Although the full sun is recommended, many people think that dappled shade is better for TPs in our harsh environment. If you want, you could post a couple of pictures of the spot where you want to plant your Koukamon, and we will discuss it with other members of the forum.

Where did you buy Koukamon, if you don't mind me asking?

GenieGirl! Your first TP is a beauty! I am sure that it will continue to reward you with many more wonderful blooms in the years to come.

@Jasmin, I bought a 22" diameter pot to plant it in to keep on the balcony. The balcony gets lots of sun and there is an umbrella I can open to give it some shade in the afternoon.

I thought I had to wait until fall when it becomes dormant to move to a bigger pot? If not, can I transplant in the next few days? Any idea what the best medium to plant in a container?

It was a landscaping place up in Stouffville, Sunland Landscaping & Garden Centre.

Thank you @LG!

Hi @Karen, hopefully it will continue to bloom for many years to come that is if I don't kill it first.

Many years ago my peonies were all grown in ground … then the house got sold … all the hard work down the drain. The soil was clay and had an evergreen growing there. It was mostly dead so we uprooted it and amended the soil to plant flowers, roses, hostas, and peonies.

That's a great tree peony. Welcome Genie.
Jasmin's advice is good …in colder climates protection is good for tree peonies. Also plant deep to be sure to bury that likely grafted root.

We look forward to hearing from you here in peony land.

Genie, if you take a photo of the whole plant and particularly the woody part, we will tell you how deep to plant. The TP will need enough woody parts below the soil to develop its own roots. This is the crucial part and the most difficult part. Everything else is much easier. TPs are tough plants.

@Jasmin, here is a pic of the entire plant


And some of just the woody part



I'm pretty sure it is grafted because the day I purchased it at the landscaping place some of the other tree peonies had herbaceous shoots growing in the pot too.

The planter I have is 18 inches deep so burying the peony 8 inches deep should be fine, right?

I believe it should be fine. I would plant it probably to the point when the plant starts branching. I cannot say exactly how many inches, but you can measure. Let us know. 6 to 8 inches will be fine anyway. Happy planting.

I was not successful to plant it deep enough so herbaceous shoot did not show up and I tried my best. Same pot and pretty much same tag, just different variety.

For those of you who've had the herbaceous growth come up from your nurse root, did all of those come from nurseries or big box stores? I remember Nate from Solaris talking about the care they take in using roots known not to be adventitious for grafting—has anyone ever had one from the big US growers sprout herbaceous? I've actually never had one of the imported ones from the big box stores even survive a CO winter so I have nothing to compare it to but I've never had a herbaceous sprout from Solaris, Adelmans, Song Sparrow, A&D or Cricket Hill.

Olivs

I really want this peony now. I didn't think I'd really be into the tree peonies. I really like the style and uniqueness of blooms of herbaceous. However Koukamon I now love and need. Hunt is on for fall purchase

Good Luck, Ruthanna. Let us know if you find one.