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Peony For Your Thoughts: Your Guide To Growing Peonies On The Front Range
Few plants bring as much dramatic, romantic flair to a spring garden as the peony. With their lush foliage and massive, pillowy blooms, they are a showstopper in any landscape. Here at Fossil Creek Nursery, we frequently get asked: "Can I actually grow these successfully in Colorado's unpredictable climate?" The answer is a resounding yes! In fact, our cold winters provide the exact chilling hours peonies need to set their spectacular blooms. To help your peonies thrive for decades to come, we’ve put together a quick guide to success. Location & Light Peonies are sun-worshippers, but Colorado’s high-altitude sun is intense. The Sweet Spot: Select a location that receives 6 to 8 hours of full sun daily. In our region, a spot with morning sun and a little bit of afternoon filtered shade is often ideal to protect the delicate petals from scorching. Air Circulation: Peonies need their personal space. Plant them away from large trees or aggressive shrubs that will steal their nutrients, and ensure they have room for air to circulate freely around the foliage. This keeps fungal diseases like Botrytis blight at bay. Soil Prep: Building the Perfect Bed Colorado is famous for heavy clay or incredibly sandy soil, neither of which makes a peony particularly happy right out of the gate. Peonies demand well-draining soil rich in organic matter. The Fix: Before planting, amend your soil deeply with compost. If you are dealing with thick Front Range clay, mixing in organic material improves drainage so the roots don't sit in soggy soil and rot. Supporting the Show: Enter the Peony Cage We’ve all seen it happen: a gorgeous peony bush bursts into bloom, a classic Colorado spring rainstorm rolls through, and suddenly those heavy, water-soaked blossoms are face-down in the mud. Because standard garden peonies (Paeonia lactiflora) produce massive, multi-petaled heads, structural support is mandatory. Timing is Everything: Do not wait until the plant is blooming to support it! Place a peony cage or grid support over the plant early in the spring when the red shoots are only a few inches tall. How it Works: As the stems grow, guide them gently up through the grids of the cage. By the time the heavy buds open, the framework of the cage will be completely hidden by lush green leaves, invisibly holding those massive flowers upright through wind and rain. Ongoing Care & Maintenance Watering While establishing their deep root systems, peonies need regular moisture. Water deeply at the base of the plant once or twice a week rather than giving them frequent shallow sprinkles. Once established, they are surprisingly drought-tolerant, but they perform best with consistent moisture from bud-set through flowering. Always water the soil, not the leaves, to avoid fungal issues. Your space will always have its own unique conditions that affect the amount of water your plant will need. We highly recommend regularly checking your soil by hand a few times a week and adjusting water as needed until your plant is established. Fertilizing Peonies aren't heavy feeders. A light application of a low-nitrogen or balanced fertilizer (like a 5-10-10 mix) in early spring as they emerge is usually all they need. Avoid high-nitrogen fertilizers, which will give you massive, beautiful green leaves but very few actual flowers. Fall Clean-Up In late autumn, after a heavy frost has turned the foliage yellow or brown, cut the stems down to about 2 inches above the ground. Dispose of the foliage rather than composting it to prevent any overwintering fungal spores from waking up in your garden next spring. Ready to Plant? Come See Us! Peonies are incredibly long-lived perennials, it’s not uncommon for a well-cared-for plant to live for 50 years or more. Investing a little time in proper soil prep and depth pays off in a lifetime of spring beauty. Stop by Fossil Creek Nursery today to check out our selection of gorgeous peony varieties, high-quality soil amendments, and heavy-duty peony cages to get your garden set up for success! Read more about Peony care with CSU Extension
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Oh Snap! Late Season Snow Damage
Oh Snap! Don't let a surprise snowstorm ruin your landscape. Follow our guide on saving snow-damaged trees, assessing structural health, and when to call a pro.
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Dealing With Colorado's Late Season Cold Snaps
Just when we all thought it was safe to put the parkas away and start digging in the dirt, Colorado decides to remind us who is boss. A late May cold snap can feel like a personal insult to your gardening progress, but don’t panic just yet. Most of your plants can handle a dip in temperature if you give them a little help. At Fossil Creek Nursery, we’ve seen plenty of these surprise cold snaps, and we’ve got a few tricks to help your plants make it through to the warmer days ahead. Shake It Off! Not just a Taylor Swift song! It’s also a simple, effective way to help your trees stay healthy through the winter. While a fresh snowfall is beautiful, the extra weight can occasionally lean on young or flexible branches a bit too heavily. To lend them a hand, use a broom or pool noodle to gently brush the snow away, which relieves the pressure without stressing the wood. Do not grab the branches or pull down on them, as that can damage them. Taking a moment to clear those limbs helps your trees keep their natural shape and ensures they’re ready to grow strong once the spring thaw arrives. Protecting Your Irrigation System The ground itself is already quite warm by May, which is great news for your irrigation system. You shouldn't need to worry about your underground irrigation lines or sprinkler heads, as this upcoming cold snap will not last long enough to freeze the ground. However, your backflow preventer, the component that sits above ground, may still be vulnerable. If the forecast is looking particularly nasty, our sister company, Alpine Gardens has a great video walkthrough on how to quickly and easily drain your backflow to prevent damages. The Art of the Cover-Up If you have tender annuals, veggies, or new perennials in the ground, they’re going to need a blanket. CSU Extension recommends using frost cloth, which is a specialized, breathable fabric designed to trap heat while letting the plant breathe. Unlike plastic, which can trap cold against the leaves and cause more harm than good, frost cloth provides a much safer buffer. When you cover them, try to drape the fabric all the way to the ground and weigh the edges down with rocks or bricks. This traps the heat radiating from the soil inside a little "tent" of warmth. CSU Extension notes that keeping your covers dry is key, so if your fabric gets soaked, it can actually make the plant colder through evaporative cooling. Just remember to uncover them once the sun comes up the next morning so they don’t bake under there. Protecting Your Container Plants If you have hanging baskets or porch pots, the easiest solution is to simply march them into the garage or a shed for the night. If the forecast is calling for a particularly hard freeze and it's feasible, bringing your favorite containers into the house for a night or two is the safest bet. Even an unheated garage will stay several degrees warmer than the open air. Stay warm out there, and don't let a little frost get you down. We'll be back to t-shirt weather before you know it! Learn more from CSU Extension: Frost Protection & Extending The Growing Season If you are concerned about your landscape or need help picking out the right supplies for your garden, our team is here for you. Whether you are in Fort Collins, Loveland, or Windsor, we are your local resource for navigating the unpredictable Northern Colorado climate. If you have any questions, stop by Fossil Creek Nursery or give us a call; our expert nursery team is happy to help you keep your garden thriving through every season.
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Dealing With Drought On The Front Range | Your Landscape & Nursery Operations Update
Colorado has experienced it’s lowest snowpack in history. We are officially in a drought. Businesses and homeowners and anxiously keeping track as they hear those two scary words: “Water Restrictions” and wait to see whether they will go into place. So what does this mean for your landscape? And how does a plant nursery approach operations responsibly in a drought? Let’s talk about it.
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Your Guide to Natural Colorado Snacks!
They’re natural, they’re tasty, and they’re edible. Little do many know, Colorado actually has several edible plants in our natural areas that are consumable. Whether you’re on the trails or in your backyard garden, here are some of the edible plants of Colorado that you can find around our home state.
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How To Stop The Splitting In Your Tomatoes
There’s nothing more satisfying than being able to enjoy the fruits and vegetables grown right in your very own garden. There’s also nothing more frustrating than checking on your edible plants and seeing cracks in your tomatoes. So why do they split?
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Planting for Pollinators
One out of every three bites of our food, including fruits, vegetables, chocolate, coffee, nuts, and spices, is created with the help of pollinators. Check out a few tips and tricks to keep the pollinators around and happy!
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Wake Up Your Yard!
Spring showers and warmer temperatures are just around the corner, which means it is time to gear up and get your outdoor areas ready for anything. Lawn and garden care is all about timing, so here are some common tips and tricks to keep your lawn and garden looking great.
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Poinsettia Care
Poinsettias - they’re the most iconic plant of the season and sometimes the most finicky to care for. December 12th marks National Poinsettia Day, so we’re here to give the holiday how-to on all things poinsettia!
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