We're moving to a tight neighborhood where people share news and stories freely. I was being referred to as the "garden lady" even before I set foot there. Nothing like a little pressure to perform.
So I'm sure they were impressed when they saw me wrestle these pathetic things into the ground and water them obsessively whenever I wasn't hauling out empty boxes to the porch as I unpacked....
Several years ago when I was writing a lengthy article about peonies for the University of Minnesota, I spoke with Roy Klehm of Song Sparrow Gardens asking him for the best advice and recommendations on tree peonies. I had grown herbaceous and intersectional peonies, but never the tree type, so I felt I needed the expertise of this noted breeder of the beautiful flowers.
Tree Peony "Guardian of the Monastery" the day before digging.
Not only did he provide a mountain of information, he also sent five, count 'em five tree peonies for my own personal enjoyment. Too bad the article never reached peer review and publishing due to funding cuts when the economy tanked.
The university's loss is your gain, you can access the article here.
Meanwhile I managed to find places for three of the tree peonies in my garden and found good homes for the other two.
House Sold Too Soon
Three years later the tree peonies had survived deer browsing, windstorms and less than ideal locations to mature and produce healthy foliage, numerous buds and one big fabulous bloom. Of course this would be the moment we were moving.
According to www.treepeony.com...
"you must put some forethought into this process before you actually begin."
Getting the house ready for market, I was of the mind that I would settle in for a long summer of showings with hopefully a buyer by fall. But instead we sold the home immediately. Any plans of carefully and thoughtfully transplanting favorites in fall were thrown out and hasty digging began.
Buds the Size and Shape of Dairy-Queen Dips
By the time the house was packed and all was sorted out, I had three days left to lift to move plants including the tree peonies, with rainstorms predicted everyday. By then some would say their buds were the size of hens' eggs but I like to think they were the size and shape of ice cream in a soft-serve cone with that cute little pointy top.
"...begin preparing it for its trip by digging around the entire plant to the drip line."
I prepared myself for the delicate surgery with only a shovel and and trash bags to wrap around the roots.
"Gently lift the plant from its previous home by holding onto it from all sides."
In between downpours I gently probed the rain-soaked, sodden soil trying to avoid damaging the roots as well as the drip system. I worked each side until the ground released the tree peony from its grip expecting a good sized root ball to accompany the plant.
When Soil the Texture of Chocolate Cake is Not So Good
"...it is vital that you protect the root ball during transit."
Instead the composty earth crumbled away exposing the naked roots. And did I mention that in my whirlwind of house-prepping activity I neglected to remove the growing supports before the plant sprouted new foliage and stems? Now the metal grids were dangling in limbo between the roots and foliage with nowhere to go but with them.
This scene was repeated with each tree peony I dug, no matter how carefully worked. I placed them gently into the trash bags, and drove them to their new temporary home, knowing I would have to do this all over again when planting them in their new garden next year. Upon arrival I soaked them for hours in water while trying to dig appropriately-sized holes while not destroying the double, yes, double layers of landscape fabric under the six inches of mulch in the beds of the rental house.
"..the best time for transplanting peonies is in the fall or very early spring, when the plants are dormant.
And You Say She's a Master Gardener?
I arranged the patio set so that the drooping tree peonies couldn't be seen from the street just in case anyone was watching the "garden lady" in action. In spite of incessant watering, the plants didn't perk up. Rather they wilted more with each day's record breaking spring heat wave, the stems buckling under the weight of the heavy buds.
The tree peonies upon transplanting to their temporary home...a sad sight
On day three I decided to cut my losses. I lopped off all the stems back to a few nodes, taking with it all the lovely leaves and plump buds. Now they are in survival mode, not dying, not thriving. I hope to see some foliage soon that proves they are hanging on.
Humans and gardens are not always on the same schedule, but both are surprisingly resilient. I'll let you know how they do.
