Just a spade, compost, and bare-root peonies.

Yes—access is $7 for life once you enrol.

The course includes tweaks for Zones 8-9.

Not at all! This course is designed for beginners. We walk you through everything—what to plant, how to plant it, and how to care for your peonies with confidence. Whether you’ve never picked up a shovel or you’re a seasoned gardener looking to specialize, you’ll find the content approachable and practical. And, as you’ll see, peonies are pretty easy and forgiving!

Peonies are generous with their blooms, even in small spaces. You can start with just 5–10 plants in a backyard bed or build out a larger cutting garden over time. We recommend about 3 feet of spacing between each plant, so even a modest yard can yield gorgeous results. If you have a 1/4 acre yard and line your fence you can potentially fit in hundreds of plants!

Patience is key—but it pays off! Peonies typically take about 2-3 years to establish, with light blooms in year 2 or 3 and full flushes by year 4. But once they settle in, they’ll bloom for decades with minimal care. Plant once, enjoy for years!

You’ll get step-by-step lessons on how to select the best cut-flower cultivars, where to source them, how to plant them correctly, care for them through the seasons, and how to harvest them for long vase life. We also cover common challenges like pests, diseases, and weather issues—plus a bonus module with a gentle introduction to selling, in case your garden outgrows your vases!

While it’s possible, we don’t recommend it long-term. Peonies do best when planted directly in the ground where they have room to stretch their roots and return year after year. That said, the course includes tips for success if container planting is your only option.

Peonies thrive in USDA Zones 3–8, which includes much of the northern and central U.S., parts of Europe, and other temperate regions. They need a cold winter to set buds, so if you’re in a warm climate (Zone 9+), peonies may struggle. We’ll help you determine if your climate is a good fit—and how to choose the right varieties.

Great question! This class brings together six years of hands-on experience of being a commercial peony grower at Midsommar Farm, including clear explanations, and practical tips that actually work. Instead of piecing together mixed advice from forums, you’ll get a proven, step-by-step system from someone who’s done it—and made all the mistakes already, so you don’t have to. We cover lots of “lessons learned” as a result of Googling, and information about which cultivars have worked best for us as cut flowers.