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Bulbs/Peonies in Zone 9?

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Expert: Long Island Gardener - 10/19/2006


Question
I just moved from Connecticut to Florida and I miss my peonies!  Is it possible to grow peonies in Zone 9?  If so, what's the best approach?

Answer
Lexi, I feel your pain - Peonies are some of the most beautiful flowers ever to see the light of day, no?  Those large, beautiful petals, the colored centers, the painted fluorishes...

They are alas un-growable in Zone 9.  Without the cold snap to set buds and induce dormancy, they barely make it through Zone 8.

Those cold snaps are the reason you MOVED, aren't they?

I am no Floridian.  But I know there is a whole new exotic flowering world down there in the land of Hurricanes, Key Limes and Alligators.  With fragrance and color only doable in Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous greenhouses... Or Zone 9.

I wrote months back to someone who was heartbroken they could not grow Tulips at their new home in Texas.  Her Geraniums were suffering.  Only Roses could survive.

There are exquisite things to fill your life now.  Orchids that are unbelievable.  Jasmine that will take your breath away.  Cestrums.  Palms.  Orange trees.  Ginger.  Plumeria.

Those Peonies will be a distant memory, as they must be, like that old gardener's saying goes, All good things must pass.  Say goodbye, Lexi.  And go shop for some Cattleyas.

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Long Island Gardener

Expertise

Growing Tulips? Dahlias? Daffodils? Gladiolus? It doesn't get easier than bulbs and tubers. Once in a while, something goes wrong: The dreaded Narcissus Bulb Fly, which resembles a honeybee. Mosaic virus, which can ignite a field of tulips in a single season. Nematodes, lurking underground. Here on the North Shore of Long Island, the garden is full of surprises. If you live in the Northeast/Atlantic Coast, I can help you pick the right bulb for every season, indoors and out, and help you fertilize, bloom and harvest for home or work. How: I have degrees in related fields, but my best understanding is all learned from trial and error. For most of my 53 years I have been gardening somewhere. No matter what the problem, I've learned the best answers are always Organic -- Earth friendly, less expensive, healthier for people and pets, easier and cleaner than toxic liquids and powders that big chemical companies sell so smoothly.

Experience

Besides degrees in related fields, and a few favorite horticultural societies, I work as a docent at our local botanical gardens -- but it's the years of work in the garden that's the real test.

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