Autumn Peony Care… is it hard work?
Here is what the professionals say you need to know for your peony crop to be better than last season!
Plus get the inside scoop on what we do in our paddock…
Lets get into it…
Autumn peony care is interesting for us because in our “Paddock”, we have mainly plant Peonies with scattered bush and tree Peonies throughout as well.
This means that the majority of our peonies die back after flowering.
The Difference Between A Tree Peony And A Plant Peony…
Tree peonies are a type of peony that grow on a woody stem, like a tree. They can reach heights of up to 8 feet and have a long lifespan, often living for over 100 years.
Plant peonies, on the other hand, are a type of herbaceous perennial that grows from a crown of roots. They reach a maximum height of 3-4 feet and have a shorter lifespan, usually living for about 20-30 years.
Perennial means they survive through the winter to grow back the next year…
Tree peonies are more robust than plant peonies and are more tolerant of cold temperatures, making them a popular choice for gardeners in colder climates.
What The Professionals Suggest…
The professionals suggest that you can cut back your peonies all the way to the ground after the first frost.
The reason for waiting until after the first frost; it allows time for the the foliage to absorb sunlight to build the plant’s energy reserves which will result in an increased bloom yield next season.
By cutting back the peonies it also deters any winter diseases from affecting your plant.
I find this time of year tough as our paddock looks overgrown and unloved but it is so important to wait until that first frost has done it’s job.
So it is important to tell myself about what Mother Nature is achieving by waiting until that first frost hits.
What do you do with your peony waste? We collect all of ours up and put it on our burning pile.
We are very conscious of diseases spreading, not that we have any that we know about, but we are not willing to take any chances of it spreading if we do.
Even when we are dead heading during the season we put all the waste into a bucket and it gets added to the burning pile.
What we do…
The professionals also suggest that you can apply a light layer of straw or lighter mulch (organic).
With the reading I have done this is for geographical areas that experience extended extreme cold temperatures in the autumn and winter months.
In our area (zone) straw would have a negative impact on the tubers by holding moisture and rotting tubers that are in the ground.
We have only ever covered several rows of our peonies with straw as an experiment to see if it made any difference in the coming season and all that happened was the straw being blown around the paddock.
So the upshot was more work cleaning up the straw. Needless to say no further effort was put into this process.
Myths… And Facts
There is certainly no need to lift peonies at the end of a season. With a lot of annuals the bulbs are lifted for the winter but this is not necessary for the peony.
In fact, peony tubers like to be frozen for a time as it is good for their health and ability to form buds.
A part of autumn peony care is letting the earth do its job…
When they don’t get enough frost/cold temperatures the plants will produce less foliage and smaller flowers.
Saying that the plants don’t tend to like a temperature lower than -30 degrees as it will cause some buds to die. However, we don’t really have that problem here in New Zealand.
Remember:
Autumn peony care means you must be sure to wait for that first frost and then get stuck in and cut back your peonies and let the cool winter months spread its magic.
Taking proper care of your peonies in autumn is essential for a beautiful spring display. If you ensure that your plants are watered, and pruned, you will be rewarded with a stunning array of blooms in the spring.
Additionally, it is important to keep your peonies free from disease and pests, as this can have a negative effect on their health.
With the right attention and care, your peonies will thrive and reward you with a beautiful display of blooms in the spring.
Make sure you check out our guide on Peony Bloom Types…
PLUS check out our latest product our Peony Petal Bath Bubbler…
