Mary, herbaceous peonies will thrive here in Maine with very little care. Soil preparation and sun exposure are important, and autumn is the preferred time to divide and transplant for our region. If any peonies you buy or are given have 4-5 eyes (the growing buds at ground level when dormant) they should bloom the next spring after fall planting. Fewer eyes simply means the plant will need time to grow before bloom is possible.

The main mistake people make in our region is to plant the "eyes" more than 1-2" deep, or they dump compost or manure over the eyes year after year; effectively burying the very part that needs to be near the surface. There are beautiful old peony varieties that have weak stems and flop their pretty blossoms into the mud the first time it rains. Other varieties are strong-stemmed and can withstand quite a bit of wind and rain.

Talk to me about what you want and I'll see if I can help. I also may have a lead on rhody starts. You will want to do a fair amount of soil preparation before you get any new shrubs.

maeve

maeve