Planting a tree peony

[Sheepish]

As they were on special offer and I have a suitable spot for it, I recently got a tree peony from Thompson & Morgan. It was still snowy when it arrived so I popped it into a pot temporarily, but now I'm hoping to plant it over the weekend and I'm trying to work out how deep. The instructions say "plant the crown with the grafting mark precisely 3cm / 1" below the soil surface". This would be fine if I knew a grafting mark when I see one...

There's a picture attached if this is any use to you in illuminating me.

[sarraceniac]

Interesting. V-e-r-y interesting . I am growing a couple of these from seed Sheepish. Devil of a job in that they need so many changes of temperature to cause germination that my fridge couldn't cope with the milk.

The thing is I can't find any references to grafting from any respectable source. Nor can I see an obvious graft on your picture.

The usual reason for grafting is to put a tree on a safer rootstock than it's own. Thus fruit are usually grafted onto a 'safe' rootstock to limit or enhance size, protect against disease etc. But the advice then is to plant so that the graft is above not below the graft level, otherwise your plant goes back to its own roots which it kicks out above the graft rather like layering. I can only think that T & M (or there suppliers cos I don't think they do much growing) have either:

1) produced a peony by taking a cutting off an existing tree and grafted it onto a different root of unknown origin to save all the trouble of propagating from seed which is a devil of a job, and now want it to produce it's own roots because the graft is not compatible with producing a proper tree, or

2) They sent the wrong instructions.

In that we can't spot a graft (they are usually pretty obvious) and that T & M are known more for their marketing skills than for their gardening or delivery skills I would suspect that it is 2).

My own feelings would be to just plant it about 2" above the root below soil level. But if somebody knows better................

[SueA]

I think although there doesn't look to be an obvious grafting mark it's probably round about the slight bulge where the stems join onto the roots. You do have to plant the graft below the soil level so that the grafted stems develop their own roots as well as those on the rootstock which is usually a herbaceous peony I think & may send up suckers which you should pull off. I've got a tree peony in a large pot & have the graft about 1 inch below the soil level but I think if you're planting it in the ground it should be a little deeper, maybe 2 or 3 inches as Sarraceniac suggests but you could always contact T&M & check with them.

[sarraceniac]

Sue is right. I found this today. Grafting Tree Peonies

We learn something new every day.

[grannysmith]

Hi everyone

I planted a shrub peony last autumn and it didn't make it through the winter. There WAS a grafting mark on it, about an inch or so above the soil line in the pot, but the lady at the garden centre said to make sure the grafting mark was NOT covered by soil because it was light sensitive at that point and otherwise wouldn't flower.

Was this the wrong advice? I mean, if I buy more this spring with grafting marks (bush or shrub), the grafting mark is meant to be below the soil line? Is that correct?

Thanks for whatever help you can give. I don't want to spend a lot of time and money getting this wrong twice in one year!