I am a novice gardener. I bought some peony bulbs to plant in large pots, but something has come up that will make it impossible for me to plant them for about four weeks. Will they be ok if I store them in their original packaging outside (zone 7) or in the fridge?

Are you able to recommend a specific brand of soil to use to pot the bulbs? I have read advice regarding the characteristics the soil should have, but but it is hard to find an actual product on the shelves that clearly fits the bill.

Thank you!

Hello, and welcome to the forum! It would be best to store the roots in barely damp peat moss (about 1 cup of water per cubic foot of peat moss) and keep them cool - here that is accomplished by keeping them in the unheated garage in early fall, but zone 7 is a lot warmer than where I am. If they are too warm they will rot.

After learning the hard way I'm of the opinion that peonies aren't really fit to be grown in pots, but with that said, I have seen folks that have been more successful with it than I. Hopefully they will chime in with some advice. Good luck and enjoy!

Thank you very much, NMay. I don't have a garage, but I can adjust the temp in a minifridge I have. Any estimate of approximately how cool a garage in your area might be?

Unfortunately, I also don't have anywhere to plant the bulbs in ground, so I will hope for the best. If you have any suggestions for specific soil brands, I would most welcome those.

Thank you again for responding to my post.

Nick, I'm in zone 7. The nights are quite cool, anywhere from 4 to 12 C but the days are quite warm and can hit 25C. I find that the garage heats up during hot days. I had to leave mine unplanted for 2 weeks last fall. Kept them on my porch in peat and they were good. It was quite a damp spell too. Do you think that might work for a longer period?

Store them in some (old) potting soil that's barely damp in a breathable container somewhere dark and cool (between 1 and 5°C; DON'T go below 0°C ofcourse!).

If keep conditions remain optimal, they remain dormant like this for months.

I kept several peony roots packed in peat and in an old camping cooler over last winter. And the cooler was in an unheated garage.
I think if you kept your frig at about 40 degrees F or 4 or 5 degrees C. Good potting soil that drains well would be important.

Hi Ets7,
Welcome to the peony forum. I grow a few peonies in pots. I use ProMix BX amended with perlite and vermiculite. The key to success is excellent drainage.


Avoid potting soils that have fertilizer already mixed in. The ratios of NPK are not for peonies, but rather annuals. I use bulb food and azomite for peonies.

I have had success storing peony roots (they are not bulbs) in a cool room in my home until I'm able to
Plant them.

The problem with zone 7 is it doesn't stay cold the entire winter. You have to be proactive and protect your potted peonies from too much moisture that can freeze and thaw and cause root rot.

Good luck!

I think any soil mix that is fairly neutral ph would be fine for your peony roots. Excellent drainage is key and correctly fertilize as LG said. You'll want to put the pots in a spot where they'll get cold but not stay wet, damp and rot are the things that will cause the root to die off.

Thank you all for your generous replies.