First seedlings of 2025

The first post of the new year, talking about the first, prematurely ‘born’ seedlings of 2025.
Paeonia obovata (seeds sown in 2023) has started to grow in the garage (I took various outdoor pots in the garage in late December: Cold alert). It is not an ideal situation but they cannot be taken back outdoors now.

More correctly to say, these are the ‘first shoots’ instead of ‘seedlings’ because as we know, most Paeonia species are hypogeal germinators.

Meaning, the rootlets grow ‘quietly’ first during a +/- warm period (you won’t see anything above the pot/ground) and in the next season (after a cold period/winter) the shoots start growing. So, we don’t have a ‘complete’ germination (roots and shoots) in one year: Growing peonies from seeds.

In this case, the growth of the rootlets didn’t happen in the first ‘warm’ period of fall 2023 as expected.
This can be from various reasons: temp. too high or to low in late summer/fall, not long enough warm period; maybe I left the pot too dry, and who knows what else… Theoretically, the shoots should have started to grow in the spring of 2024. Seeds of Paeonia veitchii-white form and Paeonia mascula ssp. arietina, sown at the same time in 2023, should also start to germinate this year.

Nothing is very ‘precise’ when it comes to seeds germination. We know this very well.

What else can be learned is that for most species peonies shoots start growing at relatively low temperatures (around 8C in my garage). If not in the garage, the growth would have started outdoors in very early spring.

I first noticed this in 2018, when I found the first shoots of Paeonia japonica while opening the cold frame in early April. Worth mentioning that it was a late spring and all pots were slightly frozen at the top at the time.

This keeps in line with the very early emergence of the majority mature peonies in the garden. Most often they appear in late March-early April, when only snowdrops, some Corydalis Crocus and few Hepatica may be flowering. The beautiful red- or purple-colored early shoots will always make us worry when late frosts are expected. Luckily, they always prove to be very cold hardy!

Looking back at the many plants I’ve grown from seeds over the years, the peonies have been among the most satisfying. Maybe on the same place with the hellebores and Epimediums.
They are all not only gorgeous, but resilient, long-lived perennials that require very little care over the years. We are rewarded with beautiful foliage from early spring to fall (winter), amazing flowering plus attractive fruits in case of peonies!

It is understandable why I decided to sow more seeds; I only have a late flowering, dwarf form of P. obovata, shown in the feature image. The more the better!