Peony

[Thisoldbird]

I'm wanting to buy a Peony to either plant in the garden or a large pot.?

I know nothing about them..can anyone offer any help or advice please

My son had a deep red one in his garden .I would like to have one in mine as a memorial for him..please

[Buenchico]

Possibly a couple of good starting points:
https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/popular/peony
and
https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/popular/peony/herbaceous/growing-guide

For deep red peonies, consider
https://www.rhs.org.uk/Plants/93628/paeonia-lactiflora-karl-rosenfield-/Details
and
https://www.rhs.org.uk/Plants/137995/Paeonia-Red-Charm/Details

[Prudie]

They are beautiful but be aware they are notoriously temperamental, don't like being moved and take a year or 2 to get going but definitely worth it if you're successful.

[malagabob]

2nd what Prudie states , they don’t like being moved. Lost the one I had.

[Prudie]

I bought 2 last year (2019) put one in a pot and the other in a bed. Neither have done anything except barely survive.

[Palustris]

Bit if a fallacy about them being temperamental. If planted properly they will grow and flower, no bother. Main problem is that people plant them too deeply. The bud at the top should be no more than an inch below surface. In fact I plant mine with the bud above ground. They need cold ripening to initiate flowering. They also like really rich soil and plenty of light.
We moved a lot of ours when we came here. They all flowered the first year after replanting.

[rowanwitch]

Prudie, give them a few more years and plant the potted one. They need good deep undisturbed soil. I would never bother with a peony in a container. most flower well from year three some need up to five years. They are like that do nothing then it's like all of a sudden something kicks in and they go bonkers

[Prudie]

Well that's given me hope rowan, might take your advice as the potted one has fared particularly badly. The one in the bed did come up bigger this year then when I put it in but no sign of a bud at all.