Peony Seeds

[Hoy]

Peter, I always sow peony seeds as soon as I get them without doing anything special. They're outside during the winter and most of them germinate in the spring.
Seeds that fall from the shrubby peonies (it is impossible to remove them all) germinate like cress underneath the shrubs.

[vanachterberg]

One year later...Well, here it is July 31, 2012 and yesterday I collected my first seedpod off that Paeonia mlokosowitschii. It has the larger black berries with the little red ones around them. Some of the red ones were already falling onto the ground.  I am thinking that I should let them dry in a paper cup and then take the seeds out of the black berries. How many will there be in each fleshy berry? And how soon should I refrigerate them?
There are several more pods that have not opened yet. I will watch them but not rush them.

Last year I never got any more seeds after the shriveled seed I collected too early in the summer

[Hoy]

The black 'berries' are the seeds! No need to do anything with them! The red ones are not fertile seed but bait for birds.
If you sow them at once they germinate easily next spring. If you want to store them, you must let them dry. Then they'll be hard and dry but germinate less easily.

[chris.wyse]

Well, I've got a ton of nice, big 'blueberry' seeds of P. veitchii, and now I need to know what to do with them in order to get the best chance of germination. Do I let them dry, or do I plant them immediately? Then do I refrigerate them, or leave them 'warm' for 2 months or so before the days cool? Do I wash them in Hydrogen Peroxide? Advice, please. Plus, if you want a few, let me know. I've got maybe 40 extra seeds, so I can send to at least a few of you.

Hi Peter,

To put things in context, my wife Doris and I were out at your house earlier this year.  I think you were having an open house (garden) a couple of weeks later, which I couldn't attend.  I believe that was because I was traveling to China, Sichuan province.

Anyway, while I was in China, I saw many unusual plants.  One of the ones that stuck out was Paeonia veitchii.  This plant looked great growing in the mountains.  I remember you telling me that you had a 'species' peony in your garden.  It's interesting that it turned out to be the same one that I saw in the wild.  I'd love to get a few seeds from you if you haven't given them all away.  Have you decided how you will plant them (dry them and vernalize, or plant in the ground right away)?

Also, I was curious about where you got the original plants/seeds.  I searched the web for any references to the plant and found many pages, but no seeds or plants for sale.  However, I did see P. veitchii var. woodwardii, which is a smaller plant, and there were a couple of sources.  Is that what you have?

P.S.  - I joined NARGS today.  Don't think I'll be attending the conference in NC - I was out there this year for the Native Orchid Conference.  It's a great location, it will be well received.

Chris

[Peter George]

I've got plenty of seed right now, some collected and stored, and some still in the seedpods. How do you want to get them? Email me and I'll figure out a way to work out the transfer. The plant originally was purchased from Ellen Hornig at Seneca Hill Nursery back in the mid 90s. Her plants always were exactly what she said they were, so I'm confident about this one.

[Gordon]

Hi, I gathered some hybrid herbaceous peony seeds from a friend's garden in late August/early September, and checked their viability by putting them in a glass of water. Those that floated were tossed out, and the sinkers were placed in damp paper towel and put in a ziplock bag. The bag was forgotten on a shelf for a couple of months at room temperature. On re-discovery, most of the seed had germinated. The sprouted seeds were potted up immediately. They are now wintering in our unheated greenhouse, and should show their first vegetative growth in a few months.

[RickR]

It's always a nice surprise when you find things like that.
I've not germinated peony seed, but I have forgotten and rediscovered many a project.

Welcome to the forum, Tingley!

[Gordon]

Thank you, Rick. I've updated the profile a bit so the name has changed. I'm looking forward to the emergence of the peonies!

[CScott]

All the peony seeds which I received from the Exchange are a dark almost black.
I have been soaking them in hydrogen peroxide solution for several days.
I did nick them,but some are still floating.  They all seem hard and heavy.
So I am going to place them all in moist vermiculite and place them in a warm spot.

I have tried wintersowing peony seeds---but no luck so far-----
I have kept the jugs,--- and perhaps I may be surprised come spring.

My plan is three months warm, one month moderate, three months in 'frig.

[Hoy]

When I plant peony seeds I place the pot outside and let the weather do the job.
Fresh seeds (not dried) germinate during the winter/spring but old dry seeds take a year longer.

Peony seeds usually are dark brown, dark blue or black when fresh and dark brown or black when dry.

[Lori S.]

As Gordon alluded to in his post above, it might be useful to mention that the seeds of many Paeonia have hypogeal germination (see Deno's Seed Germination Theory and Practice). In other words, the seed produces a root (radical) at the initial stage of germination, but growth of the above-ground seedling (cotyledon) is delayed. 

I haven't grown Paeonia from seed (or at least not successfully  ) but in light of the above, it seems like it might be a good idea to dig up the seeds and check for germination before giving up?  It could be that the seed has germinated but one might think it has not, if the cotyledon is not yet visible.

Here's a photo of some self-sown Paeonia officinalis seedlings (dug up to move elsewhere) that show hypogeal germination, with the seed still attached:

[Cockcroft]

I've been growing peonies from seed exchange offerings for several years.  I sow them in a pot and then like Trond put them outside and let the weather do its best.  Some that I've had good luck with include P. mlokosewitschii, suffruticosa, mascula, emodi, lutea ludlowii, obovata, tenuifolia, delavayi, and witmanniana.  All are lovely but very slow to flower from seed.  And one is not so lovely, but a favorite of mine anyway, P. brownii.  The biggest problem is finding spots in my garden to plant them out.

It is my experience that patience can be rewarding.  I also remember that some seeds wanted to pop out of the soil, so vigilance in re-burying them is important.   

[CScott]

Now that is encouraging!
I am wondering about the info above that old seeds germinate less readily.
Deno suggests otherwise?  Well--- that one year of dry storage improves germination?
Dr. Deno also suggests that GA-3 may help?
Any thoughts on that?

[Lori S.]

I am wondering about the info above that old seeds germinate less readily.
Deno suggests otherwise?  Well--- that one year of dry storage improves germination?

I think it comes down to planting them and finding out... If you have enough seeds of the same kind, you could try GA-3 on one batch and compare with the other batch?

Not specific to peonies, but I think a lot of seed behavior is much more species-dependent than one would guess - that different species within a genus may act differently, and so even categorizing behavior by the genus may often be too broad - and Deno's work found lots of example of that.   
He also found that dry storage of seeds of certain species (again not necessarily specific to peonies) actually enhances germination by breaking down germination inhibitors, which goes against the sweeping statements that one often hears or reads about the uselessness of "old seeds".  Fascinating stuff.

[Hoy]

I haven't tried old peony seeds but I have grown nice plants from 10 years old dry-stored (not cold) tomato seed. Excellent germination