My mother-in-law has the most beautiful bed of peonies, which are a mass of white and pink blooms every May. When I go to visit, she always has a large bouquet waiting for me to take home and enjoy. The white blooms are so sweetly scented, and once in the house, their fragrance soon fills the living room.

Well, September is the month peonies must be planted and divided in order to maintain their longevity and hardiness. Once they become established in the garden border, they will bloom in May and June and make excellent fragrant cut flowers.

There are two divisions of peonies – garden, or herbaceous varieties, and tree peonies:

· Garden peonies have full bushy stems that grow two to four feet tall and range from white, yellow, cream, pink, and rose to deep red in color. The five groups – single, semi-double, double, Japanese, and anemone are distinguished by the shape of the petals.

· Tree peonies are shrub-like deciduous plants that reach four or more feet in height and produce many large flowers in May. The colors of the delicate blooms come in yellow, pink, white, rose, crimson, scarlet, apricot, salmon, purple, and peach. The center of the flowers is yellow, pink or red.

Peonies grow from tubers (underground stems). New growth develops from buds or eyes on the tuber. New or immature shoots are bright red, succulent, and easy to damage while mature shoots are dark green and shiny.

Divide and replant peonies only when they become crowded. To do this, carefully dig around and under the plants. As you dig up the clumps, be careful not to break off the root system, especially the tap roots. Wash any soil from the roots and strip off the leaves. Cut the tubers by using a sterile knife. Be sure each section has three to five eyes and a tap root is attached. Replant the tubers immediately.

When buying, look for tubers that have three to five eyes. Those with one or two eyes often rot in the ground while those with more than five eyes may fail to produce large flowers. Select colors that harmonize with your current garden.

Peonies need fertile, slightly acid (pH 6.0) well-drained soil. They do not tolerate wet feet. These plants grow best in full sun, but will tolerate shade for two to three hours each day.

Because peonies remain in the same place for many years, the garden soil needs special preparations. Spade organic matter such as compost, aged cow manure, or peat moss in the soil about two weeks before planting. Add about a handful of bone meal or a commercial fertilizer that is high in phosphorus (such as 5-10-10). Dig a hole approximately 18 inches deep for each tuber. Holes for the plants should be spaced three feet apart. Refill the holes with about half of the soil mixture, leaving the remainder of the soil at the side of the hole until planting time.

Plant a garden peony tuber with the uppermost eye not more than two inches below the soil surface. Put a little soil around the tuber and water thoroughly. Then, fill the hole with the remaining soil and press down firmly (do not pack it). To settle the tuber, water again.

When planting a tree peony tuber, fill with four or five inches of soil, covering the graft. You can recognize the graft by the ridging on the stem and the different texture of the bark. The deep planting allows the grafted section to establish its own roots in the soil. Continue to add soil and water in the planting hole, the same way you would for a garden peony.

Mulch garden and tree peonies with straw, peat moss, or evergreen needles during the winter and summer months. In winter, mulching will prevent heaving, which is the alternate freezing and thawing of the soil that pushes the plants out of the soil. During the summer, mulching around the plants helps to keep the soil moist and prevents weed growth.

So, maybe with a little luck, you can have a bouquet of peonies next May to brighten up your indoor living space or to share with a friend.