This is my rescued Tree Peony from last year. There is new growth from the base. Forgive my ignorance! Is this a good thing? Or should it be cut?



Sorry for the poor quality of the photo

You'll probably have to wait and watch for a while to see if it's tree or herbaceous coming up. Tree peonies do put up new growth from the ground as well as from the woody limbs. Do you know how old the tree was when you got it? Did you see the roots? Tree peony roots look different from herbaceous. If you didn't see traditional skinny yam looking feeder roots when you dug it up then your tree has developed its own root system and you won't have to worry about it at all. The tree peony roots look more like any other shrub, one of the forum members referred to them as looking like a bird's nest! There's a really good picture of what he was talking about on the GardenWeb peony forum, or maybe he'll post on this one, too, since he's on both.
If you're not sure whether your new growth is tree or herbaceous when it leafs out a bit more post more pictures; we'll look and try to help if possible.

The new growth looks herbaceous. The tree peony needs to be planted deeper. Pinch off the growth and mound soil around the plant for this season. In the fall replant the TP deeper.

http://peonysenvy.com/peonycar...
I would definitely leave it grow, You can remove it at any time. I think that will be a tree, mostly what I'm watching have a bright pink color, Herb have a dark red, bordo, or clear of green.

It's hard to say now. I would wait a bit, at least one more week. The new growth is very close to the wood, which is exactly how TPs grow; it might be a bud from the TP wood. However, it is possible that you have the rootstock growing. I would wait a bit.

Here is the original thread from last year with the pictures.

The thread "Moving a Tree Peony" in Peonies forum

Jennifer, no harm in waiting...

however, it does kind of look like Audrey II.

Frank you crack me up!

I went back and looked at the original string, Jennifer--I remember the discussion! So is your tree peony in the ground now? I assume you moved it from the pot last fall? And did you make sure the roots were several inches deep when you planted it? The thick, woody part of the root in the picture from last year is the herbaceous nurse root that the tree peony was grafted on to. You can see the beginnings of tree peony roots in that pic, too--actually looked pretty good to me! The herbaceous root will eventually rot off and will be replaced completely with the tree peony roots, you just have to keep the herbaceous part buried deep enough that it can't sprout on you.
Have you seen any growth from the woody stem of you tree? That would be a good thing.

Apparently I did not plant it deep enough in the fall. That makes me sad because I hate to displace the poor thing again!

Looking at the growth from the base it does look like the growth on the stems. Pics from this morn

Here is a picture from another forum of new tree peony growth.
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here is a picture of a true herbaceous sucker
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they look quite different. Yes, you can let it grow a few weeks to see what it looks like, but the herbaceous rootstock can overtake the treepeony rootstock and eventually kill it. And you will be left with a herbaceous peony. Been there and done that. That is a herbaceous sucker. It can come up at the base of the plant (it is a part of the TP root mass), or it can surface a foot away from the base. It doesn't matter. You may not have to replant, just pinch off the sucker and mound more dirt around the TP for now.

Thank you!

Jennifer, you might be able to move a bit of dirt away from the area the new growth is coming from to see if it's coming out of the tree peony stem just below ground level or if it's from the nurse roots. You're right, the color is the same as your tree peony. I do see why graycrna4u thinks it's herbaceous, though. The pictures do look like it's further away from the limb that feels right for tree growth. I see the exact same thing right now though on a Phoenix White in my back yard--new growth is coming up beside the tree rather than from the stem. I KNOW that it's tree growth though because it's been in that same spot now for 5 years and I know what the new growth looks like.
He's right--if it is herbaceous you need to pinch it out as soon as possible. I'd just do a bit of very cautious digging to confirm either way.

I dug the dirt away. The growth is coming right out of the woody stem. I'm confused.

When tree peonies are grafted, the nurse root and the tree peony scion are merged together as one.
; as you can see, the tree peony is only the small upper part of the plant the large root system is the herbaceous rootstock. If not planted deep enough, the herbaceous peony can take over the plant preventing the tree peony from developing its own root system (not good). The best thing you can do is let the plant grow and it will become obvious if the new growth is herbaceous or tree peony growth. They look very different. If the new growth is tree peony in origin, you are good to go. If however it is herbaceous growth, wait until the tree peony goes dormant in the fall, dig it up and remove the nurse root. Again, it will be obvious what is herbaceous, the new growth will be attached to it. I had to do this to two of my tree peonies last year. Not only are they alive and well, I planted the nurse root that I cut off and got a beautiful herbaceous plant to grow as well. Good luck and be patient. Go to www.peonies.org/grafting/ and it might help you understand the grafting process and what happens afterward.

Jennifer, all is good. I am sure (99%) your bud is a TP bud, because it is rather matte. Herbaceous peony buds are usually very shiny.

The growth is coming from the woody stem; that is, the scion, which is a little TP branch grafted on the herbaceous stock. With a little bit of luck, that little bud will form a tiny branch that will get hardy before the fall.

Your TP looks totally OK. No need to worry. I cannot tell if it was planted deep enough, but the new growth looks OK.

It is getting darker outside so I cannot take pictures, but, tomorrow, I'll take a picture of one of my TPs and you will see how they grow.

I agree with Jasmin, as long as the new growth is from the woody stem instead of the fatter roots it is tree peony growth. Your rescued tree peony should be fine!

Yep, I agree with the group, it's coming from the woody part and so you are good to go.

Thank you everyone for your feedback. I really appreciate it.

JV Dubb, can you update us on the growth of the tree peony? Another picture?