Oregon · Washington · Idaho
When to plant peonies
Plant in fall: Portland and Seattle Oct 1 – Nov 15; Spokane Sep 25 – Oct 31; Boise Oct 1 – Nov 1; Bend Sep 20 – Oct 20.
Your dates in
Peonies are long-lived perennials grown for huge, often fragrant late-spring flowers, a favorite cut flower for weddings. Herbaceous peonies die back to the ground each winter, tree peonies are woody shrubs, and Itoh (intersectional) peonies are a cross of the two. Ants on the buds are harmless and don't need to be removed.
Puts peonies on your free plan, with dates for your town and a spot in your beds.
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Sun
- Full sun; at least six hours
- Spacing
- 3 feet apart
- Planting depth
- Eyes (buds) 1 to 2 inches below the soil, no deeper
- Frost
- Fully hardy; needs winter cold to bloom
- Flowers
- Usually blooms in the second or third spring
Plant bare roots in fall and they can bloom for 50 years. Planting too deep is the main reason peonies don't flower: keep the buds (eyes) no more than 2 inches below the soil.
Peony planting dates
| Towns | Plant in fall |
|---|---|
| Portland, OR, Seattle and Tacoma, WA, Astoria, OR | Oct 1 – Nov 15 |
| Spokane, WA | Sep 25 – Oct 31 |
| Boise and Meridian, ID | Oct 1 – Nov 1 |
| Bend and Redmond, OR | Sep 20 – Oct 20 |
Dates for six main cities. For any of the other 80 towns, type it in the box at the top of the page or browse all towns.
| Gresham, OR, Hillsboro and Beaverton, OR, Oregon City and West Linn, OR, Portland, OR, St. Helens and Scappoose, OR, Wilsonville and Canby, OR | Oct 1 – Nov 15 |
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| Corvallis and Albany, OR, Cottage Grove, OR, Eugene, OR, McMinnville and Newberg, OR, Salem, OR | Oct 1 – Nov 15 |
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| Ashland and Talent, OR, Grants Pass, OR, Medford, OR, Roseburg, OR | Oct 1 – Nov 15 |
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| Astoria, OR, Brookings and Gold Beach, OR, Coos Bay and North Bend, OR, Newport and Lincoln City, OR, Tillamook, OR | Oct 1 – Nov 15 |
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| Bend and Redmond, OR, Burns, OR, Klamath Falls, OR, Lakeview, OR, Madras, OR, Prineville, OR | Sep 20 – Oct 20 |
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| Baker City, OR, Enterprise and Joseph, OR, John Day, OR | Sep 20 – Oct 20 |
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| Hermiston, OR, Hood River, OR, Ontario, OR, Pendleton, OR, The Dalles, OR | Oct 1 – Nov 1 |
| La Grande, OR | Sep 25 – Oct 31 |
| Bremerton and Port Orchard, WA, Everett, WA, Kent, Renton and Auburn, WA, Olympia, WA, Seattle and Tacoma, WA, Shelton, WA | Oct 1 – Nov 15 |
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| Anacortes, WA, Bellingham, WA, Friday Harbor and the San Juans, WA, Mount Vernon and Burlington, WA, Oak Harbor and Whidbey Island, WA | Oct 1 – Nov 15 |
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| Aberdeen and Hoquiam, WA, Forks, WA, Long Beach and Ilwaco, WA, Port Angeles, WA, Port Townsend, WA, Sequim, WA | Oct 1 – Nov 15 |
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| Centralia and Chehalis, WA, Longview and Kelso, WA, Vancouver, WA | Oct 1 – Nov 15 |
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| Chelan, WA, Wenatchee, WA | Oct 1 – Nov 1 |
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| Leavenworth, WA, Omak and Okanogan, WA, Winthrop and Twisp, WA | Sep 25 – Oct 31 |
| Colville, WA, Pullman, WA, Spokane, WA | Sep 25 – Oct 31 |
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| Bonners Ferry, ID, Coeur d'Alene and Post Falls, ID, Sandpoint, ID | Sep 25 – Oct 31 |
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| Lewiston, ID | Oct 1 – Nov 1 |
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| Moscow, ID | Sep 25 – Oct 31 |
| Boise and Meridian, ID, Emmett, ID, Nampa and Caldwell, ID | Oct 1 – Nov 1 |
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| McCall, ID | Sep 20 – Oct 20 |
| Burley and Rupert, ID, Idaho Falls, ID, Pocatello, ID, Rexburg, ID, Twin Falls, ID | Sep 25 – Oct 31 |
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| Salmon, ID | Sep 20 – Oct 20 |
Peony year at a glance
| Task | J | F | M | A | M | J | J | A | S | O | N | D |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plant | Oct | Nov | ||||||||||
| Cut flowers | May | Jun |
Around Portland. Colder towns, especially east of the Cascades, run a few weeks later; the table above has your town's planting dates.
How to grow peonies
- Buy healthy bare roots with three to five pink or red eyes (buds).
- Pick a sunny spot with soil that drains well, and mix in compost.
- Plant them on your city's dates, eyes (buds) 1 to 2 inches below the soil, no deeper, 3 feet apart. Planting too deep is the main reason peonies don't bloom.
- Water once after planting. In spring, set a support ring over the shoots before they flop.
- Harvest: Cut when buds feel soft like a marshmallow and show color. Leave at least a third of the stems on the plant so it can rebuild for next year.
Growing peonies in your part of the Northwest
The same plant behaves differently on the wet west side, the foggy coast and the dry, colder east side.
West-side valleys
Willamette Valley, Puget Sound, southern Oregon
Peony botrytis blight browns buds in wet springs; clean up stems in fall and give plants good airflow.
East of the Cascades
Columbia Basin, Yakima, Boise, Spokane, north Idaho
Peonies need winter cold and do very well east of the Cascades. Water deeply in hot summers.
High desert and mountain towns
Central Oregon, high eastern Oregon valleys, McCall, Salmon
Peonies are hardy enough for the coldest winters in the region and bloom reliably.
More peony varieties
More widely sold picks that do well somewhere in the Northwest. The tag says which part of the Northwest suits each one best.
Sarah Bernhardt
The best-known peony, with large, fragrant, double pink blooms. It blooms late in the season and is a reliable choice for cutting and borders.
Both sides
Festiva Maxima
Large white double flowers with red flecks in the center and a strong, sweet fragrance. An heirloom that has been a garden favorite for generations.
Both sides
Coral Charm
Coral-peach flowers that fade to apricot and then cream as they open. A florist favorite with strong stems and an early bloom time.
Both sides
Bartzella
Large, lemon-yellow flowers on sturdy, bushy plants that rarely need staking. It produces many blooms and has good resistance to botrytis.
Both sides
Karl Rosenfield
Large, deep crimson double flowers on strong stems. A classic red peony for borders and cutting, and one of the most widely sold reds at garden centers each fall.
Both sides
Duchesse de Nemours
Creamy white, very fragrant double flowers that open early. An heirloom favorite for cutting and wedding bouquets, with sturdy plants that come back reliably for decades.
Both sides
Bowl of Beauty
Pink outer petals around a center of creamy, frilly petaloids. Bold, showy and long-lasting in the garden, and the single-style flowers hold up better in rain than heavy doubles.
Both sides
How much to grow
How many to plant
Three plants give a good cutting supply. They live for decades.
In the vase
Cut peonies last about a week. Buds keep for weeks in the fridge wrapped dry.
Key numbers
- 1–2 inches, no deeperEye depth
- 6.0–7.0Soil pH
- 6+ hoursSun
- Botrytis in wet springsBiggest risk
Top care tip: Cut all stems to the ground in fall and throw them out, which keeps gray mold from coming back.
Growing notes
What makes the difference in Northwest gardens, in plain language.
Planting it right
Peonies can live for decades in one spot, and how you plant them decides whether they bloom. Set the pink or red buds, called eyes, no more than 2 inches below the soil. Buried deeper, plants grow leaves but few or no flowers. Choose full sun and well-drained soil enriched with compost; soggy ground rots the roots in wet west-side winters.
Peonies need winter chill to form flower buds, which the whole Northwest provides. Skip high-nitrogen fertilizer, which grows leaves instead of blooms.
Botrytis and ants
Botrytis, or gray mold, thrives in the cool, wet springs common west of the Cascades. Buds turn black and fail to open, and young stems wilt at the base. Cut all stems to the ground in fall and throw them out, remove infected buds as soon as you see them, and avoid crowding.
Ants crawling on buds are harmless. They're feeding on sugary nectar the buds produce and don't help or hurt the flowers. Just shake them off cut stems before bringing them indoors.
Care over the years and dividing
Established peonies need little: a ring support in spring for heavy-headed types, a little compost, and water in long dry spells. They resent being moved, so most plants never need dividing.
If an old clump declines, divide it in fall. Dig carefully, cut the root into pieces with three to five eyes each, and replant at the right depth. Expect divided plants to take a year or two to bloom well again. Itoh types like Bartzella have sturdier stems and rarely need staking.
Good neighbors
Good neighbors
- Spring bulbs. Bloom before peony leaves fill in.
Pests and problems
What most often goes wrong with peonies in Northwest gardens, how to spot it and what to do.
Botrytis
Signs: Blackened buds and stems in wet springs.
What to do: Cut all stems down in fall and throw them out.
No flowers
Signs: Plants leaf out but never bloom.
What to do: Plant crowns only an inch or two deep, in full sun.
Common questions about growing peonies
When should I plant peonies in Oregon, Washington and Idaho?
Plant in fall: Oct 1 – Nov 15 in Portland and Seattle, Sep 25 – Oct 31 in Spokane, Oct 1 – Nov 1 in Boise and Sep 20 – Oct 20 in Bend. Pick your town at the top of the page for your own dates.
Why won't my peonies bloom?
The most common cause is planting too deep: the eyes should be only 1 to 2 inches below the soil. Too much shade, a recent move or division, young plants and high-nitrogen fertilizer also cut down on flowers. Fix the depth in fall and be patient.
Are ants bad for peonies?
No. Ants visit the buds for their sugary nectar and do no harm. You don't need to spray them; just shake cut flowers before taking them inside.
When should I cut back peonies?
In fall, after the leaves have yellowed or been hit by frost. Cut stems to the ground and throw them out rather than composting, to reduce botrytis next spring. Itoh peonies are cut back to just above their short woody base.
See what else to plant in October or November.
Dahlias
Sunflowers
Zinnias
Sweet peas
Tulips
Daffodils
Cosmos
Nasturtiums
Marigolds
Calendula
Snapdragons
Ranunculus