SKU: 1077 Celebrity Bareroot Peony, 2-3 Eye, Great for Fall Planting!

Plant Features & Growing Information

• Growth Habit: Upright, bushy, clump-forming herbaceous perennial. Unlike tree peonies, Celebrity dies completely back to the ground each winter and produces fresh stems from its underground crown every spring.

• Peony Type: Herbaceous Lactiflora Peony (Paeonia lactiflora). It is not an Itoh or intersectional peony.

• Mature Height: Approximately 32–38 inches tall under favorable growing conditions.

• Mature Spread: Approximately 30–36 inches wide, with established plants gradually forming broad, substantial clumps.

• Growth Rate: Slow to moderate. Peonies often spend their first few seasons developing a strong root system before reaching their full flowering potential.

• Longevity: Exceptionally long-lived. Properly planted peonies can remain in the same location and flower for many decades.

• Bloom Color: Large raspberry-pink to fuchsia-pink outer petals surround a dramatic tufted center composed of creamy white, pale pink, and deeper raspberry-pink petaloids.

• Flower Form: Large, highly decorative double to bomb-type flowers with a densely packed, contrasting center.

• Flower Size: Individual flowers may reach approximately 6 inches across under favorable conditions.

• Bloom Time: Typically flowers in late spring to early summer, generally May into June depending on climate.

• Fragrance: Fragrant. Flowers produce a pleasant spicy to sweet peony fragrance, making Celebrity particularly desirable for bouquets and cutting gardens.

• Foliage: Attractive, deeply divided dark green foliage forms a dense mound that remains ornamental after flowering.

• Spring Foliage: Young shoots may emerge with attractive reddish or bronze-red coloration before turning green as they mature.

• Fall & Winter Habit: Foliage naturally yellows or browns in autumn and the entire above-ground plant dies back for winter.

• Fruit Flavor: Celebrity Peony is not grown for edible fruit. Pollinated peonies may develop seed pods, but these are ornamental structures and have no recognized culinary fruit flavor.

• Culinary Uses: Not recommended as an edible plant. Although some Paeonia species have histories of specialized traditional uses, Celebrity is sold as an ornamental cultivar and should not be promoted as a food plant.

• Medicinal Uses: Peonies have a long history in traditional herbal medicine, particularly certain specifically prepared roots of identified Paeonia species. However, Celebrity Peony should not be used for homemade medicinal preparations. Traditional medicinal use does not establish that an ornamental cultivar or an unprocessed garden root is safe or effective for self-treatment.

• Possible Toxicity to Pets: Potentially toxic to dogs, cats, and horses if ingested. Peonies contain paeonol and can cause gastrointestinal symptoms.

• Pet Toxicity Symptoms: Ingestion may cause vomiting, diarrhea, and lethargy or depression. Keep plant material away from pets that habitually chew garden plants.

• Possible Toxicity to Humans: Celebrity Peony is not recommended for consumption. Eating ornamental plant material may cause gastrointestinal discomfort, and sensitive individuals should avoid unnecessary contact with plant sap.

• Deer Resistance: Good. Peonies are generally considered deer resistant, although no plant is completely deer-proof when animals are hungry.

• Rabbit Resistance: Good. Rabbits generally leave established peonies alone compared with many other flowering perennials.

• Pollinator Value: Variable because the densely petaled flower form can make reproductive structures less accessible than those of single peonies. Celebrity is primarily valued for ornamental and cut-flower performance.

• Ants on Peonies: Ants are frequently attracted to the sugary secretions produced around developing peony buds. They do not harm the plant and are not required for flowers to open.

• Common Pests: Generally trouble-free. Potential problems can include thrips, scale insects, nematodes, and occasional caterpillars.

• Disease Concerns: May occasionally experience Botrytis/peony wilt, leaf blotch, powdery mildew, Verticillium wilt, or other fungal diseases, particularly where plants have poor airflow or remain excessively wet.

• USDA Planting Zones: Generally suitable for USDA Zones 3–8, with some sources listing performance into Zone 9 where sufficient winter chilling occurs.

• Winter Chilling: Peonies perform best where winters provide a period of cold dormancy. Flowering can become less dependable in very warm climates.

• Sun Preferences: Performs best in full sun, ideally receiving at least 6 hours of direct sunlight each day.

• Partial Shade: Light partial shade is tolerated, particularly in hotter climates, but excessive shade can reduce flowering and cause weaker stems.

• Drought Tolerance: Moderate once well established. Mature peonies can tolerate occasional dry periods, but consistent moisture produces stronger growth and better flowering.

• Water Requirements: Maintain moderate, even moisture during active spring growth and flowering, particularly during the plant's first few seasons. Avoid constantly saturated soil.

• Soil Preferences: Prefers deep, fertile, humus-rich, moist but well-drained soil.

• Soil Adaptability: Can grow successfully in clay, loam, sandy, acidic, neutral, or somewhat alkaline soils as long as drainage and fertility are adequate.

• Support: The enormous double flowers can become heavy after rain. A peony ring, grow-through support, or discreet stakes can help keep flowering stems upright.

• Cut Flower Uses: Excellent. Celebrity's large raspberry-pink and white blossoms, long stems, and spicy fragrance make it an outstanding cut flower.

• Landscape Uses: Excellent for cottage gardens, perennial borders, cutting gardens, foundation plantings, mass plantings, specimen displays, and traditional flower gardens.

When & How to Prune

• Spring: Do not prune healthy emerging shoots. Allow stems and foliage to develop naturally.

• During Flowering: Remove individual flowers for bouquets as desired, but retain plenty of foliage on the plant to feed the crown.

• Deadheading: After flowers fade, remove spent blossoms by cutting the flower stem back to a healthy set of leaves.

• Do Not Remove Summer Foliage: Keep healthy green foliage intact throughout summer. The leaves manufacture and store energy needed for next year's flowers.

• Fall Cutback: After the first hard frost or once foliage has naturally yellowed and died back, cut all stems down close to ground level, generally leaving approximately 1–2 inches.

• Dispose of Old Foliage: Remove cut stems and leaves from the garden rather than leaving them around the crown. This is particularly useful for reducing overwintering fungal disease spores.

• Winter: No above-ground pruning is necessary after the fall cutback because Celebrity is completely herbaceous and dormant below ground.

Planting Instructions from Bareroot into the Ground

• Best Planting Time: Fall is ideal for planting bareroot peonies because cool temperatures allow roots to establish before spring growth begins. Bareroot plants can also be planted in early spring as soon as the soil can be worked.

• Choose the Permanent Location Carefully: Peonies are extremely long-lived and generally dislike frequent transplanting. Select a location where the plant can remain for many years.

• Sunlight: Choose a site receiving at least 6 hours of direct sunlight daily for maximum flowering.

• Allow Plenty of Space: Position Celebrity approximately 3 feet from neighboring peonies or large perennials to provide adequate airflow and room for its mature clump.

• Prepare the Soil: Dig a planting area approximately 12–18 inches wide and deep, loosening the surrounding soil thoroughly.

• Improve the Soil: Mix compost or well-aged organic matter into poor soil, but avoid creating an overly rich pocket of amendments directly beneath the crown that could settle later.

• Check the Bareroot: A healthy peony root should have a substantial fleshy root system and several visible pink, red, or white growth buds called “eyes.”

• Identify the Eyes: The eyes are the small pointed buds near the crown that will produce the following season's stems.

• Position the Root: Place the root horizontally or at a slight angle with the eyes facing upward and the fleshy roots extending downward and outward.

• CRITICAL PLANTING DEPTH: Position the eyes only approximately 1–2 inches below the finished soil surface.

• Do Not Plant Too Deeply: This is one of the most important requirements for successful peony flowering. Peonies planted too deeply may produce healthy foliage for years without blooming.

• Warm-Climate Depth: In warmer portions of the peony's growing range, keeping the eyes toward the shallower end of the recommended depth can help them receive adequate winter chilling.

• Backfill Carefully: Fill around the roots with loose soil, gently working soil between the roots to eliminate large air pockets.

• Do Not Compact Heavily: Firm the soil gently with your hands rather than stomping it down.

• Water Thoroughly: Water deeply immediately after planting to settle soil around the roots.

• Recheck the Crown: After watering and soil settling, confirm that the eyes have not sunk more than approximately 2 inches below the surface.

• Mulching: Apply a light layer of mulch around the planting area if needed for winter protection, but do not bury the crown beneath a thick layer of mulch.

• Spring Mulch Removal: Pull heavy mulch away from the crown as spring growth begins so emerging shoots receive light and air.

• First-Year Watering: Keep soil moderately moist during the first growing season while the root system becomes established.

• First-Year Expectations: Newly planted bareroot peonies may produce limited top growth or few flowers during their first season. This is normal.

• Establishment Period: Celebrity may require 2–3 growing seasons to develop into a substantial flowering clump. Peonies reward patience with increasingly impressive displays as they mature.

Fertilizing Celebrity Peony

• At Planting: Avoid placing concentrated fertilizer directly against the bare roots.

• Established Plants: Apply compost or an appropriate balanced, slow-release fertilizer around the root zone in early spring.

• Avoid Excess Nitrogen: Too much nitrogen encourages lush foliage at the expense of flowers and may create softer stems.

• Keep Fertilizer Away from Crown: Apply fertilizer around the outer root zone rather than directly onto emerging eyes.

Overwintering & Seasonal Care

• Fall: After foliage naturally declines, cut stems close to ground level and remove plant debris.

• Winter: The crown remains dormant underground. Established plants require little winter protection throughout their normal hardiness range.

• Early Spring: Reddish shoots emerge from the crown and quickly develop into upright leafy stems.

• Spring: Provide consistent moisture as stems and flower buds develop.

• Late Spring/Early Summer: Large raspberry-pink and white flowers open above the dark green foliage.

• After Flowering: Deadhead spent blooms while retaining all healthy foliage.

• Summer: Continue watering during prolonged dry periods and allow the foliage to remain intact.

• Autumn: Leaves naturally yellow or brown as the plant transfers energy back into its underground crown.

• After Frost: Cut stems down and remove the old foliage to prepare the plant for another winter dormancy.

Additional Growing Tips

Planting Depth Is Critical: If a mature peony produces plenty of foliage but refuses to bloom, one of the first things to check is whether the crown was planted too deeply. The eyes should remain close to the soil surface.

Be Patient: Bareroot peonies often follow the old gardening saying: the first year they sleep, the second year they creep, and the third year they leap. Flower production generally improves substantially as the crown matures.

Support Before Flowers Open: Install a peony ring or grow-through support early in spring, while shoots are still relatively short. The foliage will grow through the support and eventually conceal it.

After Heavy Rain: Celebrity's large double flowers can collect considerable water. Supporting the stems prevents rain-soaked blossoms from bending toward the ground.

Cut Flower Tip: For longer vase life, harvest peony stems when the buds have developed full color and feel soft like a marshmallow when gently squeezed, but before the petals have fully opened.

Bouquet Tip: Before bringing peony flowers indoors, gently shake or inspect the blossoms for ants. The ants are harmless garden visitors but aren't particularly welcome on the kitchen table.

Companion Planting: Celebrity pairs beautifully with irises, alliums, catmint, salvia, hardy geraniums, roses, foxgloves, and ornamental grasses. Later-emerging companions can help maintain color after the peony's flowering season ends.

Long-Term Care Tip: Avoid unnecessary transplanting or division. Peonies generally flower most impressively after they have been allowed to establish undisturbed for several years.

Safety Reminder: Celebrity Peony is an ornamental plant rather than an edible crop. Keep roots, foliage, flowers, and other plant material away from pets likely to consume garden plants.