Tree Paeonies

I've been trying to successfully grow tree paeonies ever since I started this garden, with very mixed results. They mostly dwindle and fade away. The classic advice is to plant them deeply so the tree paeony makes it's own roots to take over from the herbaceous paeony rootstock. Fine, but....the RHS then goes on to say that they should be mulched each year, taking care to keep the mulch away from the stems to prevent rotting
That's why I don't dare to plant them deeply in the first place!
So...if anyone who grows them to perfection could give me some pointers I'd be most grateful
P.S. I'm talking big, blowsy, grafted hybrids, not the species which are vigorous and much easier!

 

I do grow them ... they need well drained soil , full sun , out of the wind ...

you have to start with good plants if you dont its a 70% chance they wont do well , try and buy a plant with at least 3 stems growing in a pot not bare root but bare root do take a while to settle in ... they need space, so no crowding out by other plants ... I bit the bullet as mine is about 20 years old went very very leggy so I cut down hard to about 6 inches in January no later ... and it has produced several new buds last year ,, I hope to have flowers in a year or two I hope

you need to plant deeply to start and mulch can be easily 6 inches away from the stem if it needs it ,,, I use rose fertiliser in late February early March nothing else and nothing with too much nitrogen

hope this helps

Spruce

 

Thank you, Spruce! That all ties in with the advice I've seen elsewhere, especially the bit about not liking to share space with other plants. I think that may have been the problem before Well, I'll give it another go but this time planted a bit deeper and in splendid isolation

 

I've never understood grafting a woody plant onto herbaceous roots.

 

its to help it root quicker plus its grafted on to as you said a (herbaceous peony root) so one tree peony can be used to create multiple plants until its own roots develop

 

I would have thought they would be micro propagating them by now.

But the whole idea of grafting a plant that retains its above ground growth onto a root stock that doesn't sounds a bit iffy.
Obviously it works but I'm guessing if the tree part doesn't manage to root after a year or so then that could be why they are difficult to grow.

The old yellow flowered species tree peony grows almost like a weed, I would have thought that would be a better option for a rootstock.

 

all very sound I do not have a clue