Paeonia lactiflora seeds (Chinese Peony)

Description

A perennial workhorse known for its hardiness, large scented flowers and longevity, its a favorite in all gardens large and small. Colours vary in shades of pink. Much loved by bees for its pollen bounty. Robust, clump-forming plants. Attractive lobed mid-green leaves. Long lived. Drought tolerant when established. Deer resistant.

• Seed Count: 12-15
• Collection Date:  Sept 2020
• Hardiness Zone: 3-9
• Height and Width: 1m x 1m
• Germination test type: float
• Family: Paeoniaceae

How to germinate Paeonia lactiflora seeds:

Stratifing seed. Pre-soaked in Skookum Grow solution. Ready to sow. All paeonia need a warm and cold stratification cycle to germinate regardless the time of year sown. Fall/winter sowing? Give 2 weeks warmth (20C) in moist medium (warm strat cycle). Sow 2cm deep & space seed 3-4 cm apart in a deep (2 gal) communal germination pot to saves space. Add 1cm of fine mulch. Place in cool greenhouse (or WHY) do not freeze. Root emerges first. Leaf tops can emerge in January. Keep pot intact for 2 years. Some need a 2nd round of warm/cold strat cycle. Spring sowing: sow as above; place pot in dappled shade. Roots emerge in summer. Place pots in unheated greenhouse. Tops merge late winter/early spring. Never let pots dry out. Don’t let them get overheated. We highly recommend ½ inch hardware cloth to protect seed/seedlings rodents. Secure mesh well as mice will find the smallest gap & will feast. We container sow all our Paeonia and don’t decant the pot for 2-3 years. You can get a lot of kids started this way & save space, time & medium. NOTE: seed not germinating 1st year; repeat warm/cold strat cycle. Don’t let pots freeze nor dry out.

Our experience: we sowed stratified Paeonia seed (various species) straight from the fridge in January 2021. Sown pots were kept in the greenhouse until April where they were moved to a shaded summer watering bed. They were returned to the greenhouse in Nov. Now they are pushing out seedling leaves in an unheated greenhouse January 2022 with a very good germination rate (+90%). Very rewarding.