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Do you think this little guy will make it? Or anything I can do to help him out?
He's a Kansas peony. I'm zone 8b. I planted him in late November maybe early December. We've had a pretty warm winter so far never really going much lower than 60. I heard this variety does ok in my zone. We had a freeze yesterday that happened much sooner than expected and I didn't have a chance to cover him in time. When I got home I covered him. It got down to 22 degrees. This morning this is what he looked like.
I was so excited he started growing but now he's surrounded by ice and it's all over him! I'm temped to take a blow dryer to him. Ha!

I am fairly certain your new baby will make it just fine. Peonies are really hard to kill. I have never had one die, no matter what zone I was in. Yes, the frost will nip at the sprouts, but once spring arrives, it should recover.

Peonies in January? Idk about gardening in your zone or Kansas peonies, but up here they are perennial, and will regrow from the roots and flower in the spring. I would cut all that poor foliage off and wait for spring regrowth up here.

Peter1142 wrote:Peonies in January? Idk about gardening in your zone or Kansas peonies, but up here they are perennial, and will regrow from the roots and flower in the spring. I would cut all that poor foliage off and wait for spring regrowth up here.

Is this unusual to see him growing in January? Maybe because of how warm our weather is. It's supposed to stay in the 70s for the next couple weeks. Everything I read said to plant him in the ground before winter and only about an inch covering because we don't tend to get very cold.

He's got green leaves! I think he's going to make it. Whoohoo