When Are Peonies in Season in Australia?

Dubbed the 'Queen of Flowers' peonies are well suited for Australian climates and are in season from mid-to-late October until mid-December. Established peonies are drought resistant and the root systems shut down during hot summers.

Tree Peonies

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Tree peonies bloom in the spring until summer, roughly mid-October to mid-December. Tree peonies are harder to propagate, graft and are slower to grow, averaging three years until flowers appear. Blooms are available in an assortment of colors except blue. During the first flowering season, flowers may be small and untrue to the real color. Tree peonies do not require a cold winter and are suited to the northern states.

Herbaceous Peonies

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Herbaceous peonies feature layers of delicate petals that form large flower-heads and bloom in spring until summer. Cooler winter temperatures in Australia's southern states make herbaceous peonies easier to grow.

Peony Blooms

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Peonies take four to five years to produce blooms. Peonies dislike wet roots and to avoid burning during hot summers or short flowering seasons it is best to plant bulbs in a semi-shaded area.

Cut Down Peonies

With their fragrant, multi-petaled flowers, peonies (Paeonia) are a garden treasure that may or may not need to be cut down, depending on which variety you grow. Remove all the foliage, dropped leaves and flowers on the ground to reduce the chances of diseases from lingering to the next season. Cut spent flowers off at any time to give the plant a neat appearance. Tree peonies need no cutting back. But in spring, you can prune away any dead branches or suckers growing from the base of the plant. A hybrid cross between a herbaceous peony and a tree peony, intersectional peonies, such as Takara, (Paeonia 'Smith Opus 2' TAKARA), grown in USDA zones 4 through 8, have the growth habits of herbaceous peonies and the large flowers of tree peonies.