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Can you cut peonies


for show-stopping blooms next year |

Knowing when to cut back peonies is essential if you want to keep your plants in good health and ensure maximum blooms next year.

Learning how to grow peonies is one of the most rewarding gardening pursuits. Few other plants offer such a vast range of forms and colors, from purest white, through lemon yellow, softest pink and deepest red.

‘Renowned for their oversized blooms, peonies are a prized landscape plant often used for cut flowers,’ says Lindsay Pangborn, gardening expert at Bloomscape . 

‘Cutting back peonies is a critical to-do item, but it’s important to think about timing. It’s a careful balance of aesthetic and plant health considerations.’

As well as knowing when to cut back peonies, it's also important to know when to plant peonies if you're adding new varieties to the garden. Plus, if your peonies are not blooming, this guide will help.

When to cut back peonies – expert guide

Your local climate can affect when to cut back peonies as those in warmer zones will flower earlier than those in cooler zones – check your USDA plant hardiness zone . Peonies can be grown in zones 3-9, depending on the variety.

‘Depending on where you live, the growing season for peonies can be anywhere between April to June,’ says Gabriel J. Croteau, master gardener and consultant at Juliei Salone .

‘It may be tempting to prune peonies as soon as the leaves start looking bad, but you ideally need to wait until fall to prune them. That's because the plants are still relying on getting their energy for the following year's growth – and so cutting them sooner could affect next year's flowers.’

When fall sets in, and the peonies' leaves change color to yellow or brown, then it’s time to make the cut. 

‘Take them right back to about 1 inch (2.5cm),’ says Jennifer Green, botanist and expert at Positive Bloom . ‘If the plant is severely damaged or overgrown, you should cut it as close to the base as possible. 

'You can also remove healthy branches that touch each other, taking away the less developed branch with fewer buds. ’

(Image credit: Leigh Clapp)

Can I cut my peonies back in August?

August is not the best time to cut back peonies, as it doesn’t allow the foliage to absorb as much energy as it needs for the following year.

‘The foliage of peonies tends to decline, beginning in August, since this is when the plant naturally starts diverting energy away from growing leaves and instead to underground tubers. These tubers allow the plant to store energy for the next season,’ explains Pangborn.

‘Though the leaves may not look great, it’s best to allow them to remain so that they can continue to photosynthesize and gather energy for the plant.’

Cutting back peonies in spring

Unless you are trimming old growth left over from the previous year, you must not cut back your peonies in the spring, as this could harm the plant and prevent it from flowering.

However, there is one exception to the rule. ‘The only peony you should trim in the spring is a tree peony,’ says Croteau. ‘You wouldn't cut it back in the fall like you do a herbaceous or Itoh peony. 

Early spring is the best time to prune tree peonies.

(Image credit: Leigh Clapp)

Do peonies need to be cut back for winter?

It’s best to cut back your peonies before winter in the fall, and discard all dead plant matter. 

‘Peonies are susceptible to foliar fungal issues, and allowing infected foliage to remain on the plant through winter can expose new growth to damaging pathogens that have overwintered on the old leaves,’ says Pangborn.

Pruning peonies before winter also keeps your garden tidy. ‘If you don’t cut them, the leaves and stems deteriorate, become mushy, and fall to the ground,’ says Green.

Can you cut down peonies after they bloom? 

‘You should not cut back peonies after they bloom, since the leaves do a lot of work over the growing season gathering energy for the plant. However, you should deadhead peonies after they bloom,’ says Pangborn.

Always use clean, sharp pruners to remove spent flower blooms, to avoid the risk of disease transference. 

‘Allowing the old blooms to remain can contribute to fungal growth on the plant, along with being unsightly,’ adds Pangborn. ‘It’s also best to remove any stems that are declining throughout the season in an effort to keep disease from spreading.’

What happens if you don't cut back peonies? 

If you don’t cut back peonies, the old foliage will become unsightly over the winter and into the spring – but they should still flower the following year.

‘Bear in mind this increases the chance that any old fungal issues are transferred to the tender new growth in the spring,’ adds Pangborn.

Time Your Pruning to Help Next Year's Blooms

After the first spring bulbs appear, the blooms I look forward to with the most anticipation in the spring are peonies. I love when I finally spot those big flower buds getting ready to burst open and reveal all the frilly petals they’ve been holding in. Knowing when to cut back peonies will ensure those beautiful blooms reappear next spring. Luckily once the flowers die back, you’re left with nice, strong foliage that will provide a backdrop for subsequent blooms.

Peony season, which can be anywhere from April to June, depending on where you live, can be fleeting. Those blooms that bring such colour and personality to the spring garden sure don’t like to hang around for long. But when shopping for peonies at the garden center, you can find early-, mid-, and late-season bloom times. Check the plant tag for details. I have a few peonies and luckily they don’t all open at once. They are staggered about a week or so apart, so I get to enjoy peony flowers for longer.

Peonies are a beautiful addition to a spring garden. Knowing when to cut back peonies—both the flowers and the foliage—will help to maintain a healthy plant (and encourage those blooms!) for the following season.

When to deadhead peonies

Hopefully you get to enjoy the flowers before a spring storm makes a mess of them. I’m often picking up sad-looking, bruised petals after a storm, lamenting the fact that the flowers seem to have just opened. Rain can make quick work of them, turning the petals into a bit of a mushy mess. If you find your peonies flop from their weight (or from a heavy rainfall), try placing a peony hoop over the plant, early in the spring, while it’s still easy to do so.

If your peony blooms don’t make it inside for cut flower arrangements, you can deadhead the faded flowers once they’re past their prime. This step, unfortunately, doesn’t encourage more flowers, like on other annuals and perennials.

It’s also worth noting that allowing the seed heads to form on spent blooms will affect next year’s growth. Deadheading right after the plant blooms allows it to redirect all of its energy into next year’s growth and blooms.

If you don’t snip all your peony flowers for vases, deadheading will help to redirect the energy into the plant for next year’s foliage and flowers, instead of forming seed pods.

To deadhead a peony, use a sharp, clean pair of pruners to snip the flower stems where they meet the leaves. As for the foliage, you’ll want to leave it standing in the garden well into autumn. The rest of this article will explain why you should leave your herbaceous peony foliage until fall.

When to cut back peonies

Throughout the season, your peony leaves may start to look less than stellar. And though it could be tempting to cut them back, the plant relies on the energy from the leaves for the following year’s new growth. That’s why you need to wait until fall to prune them back. Cutting them back sooner could affect next year’s flowers.

Peony foliage is susceptible to fungal diseases, like powdery mildew (shown here). It won’t kill your peony, but it doesn’t look great. This plant was placed in an area that gets part shade. Full sun and lots of air circulation around the plant will help it to thrive—and look better throughout the growing season.

For example, peony foliage can be prone to powdery mildew, which won’t kill the plant, it just looks unsightly. Full sun and lots of space to promote air circulation can help to prevent powdery mildew. Other afflictions can include botrytis blight, verticillium wilt, and Japanese beetles.

Knowing when to cut back peonies in fall is key. Timing-wise, wait until a hard frost has finished off the foliage. (Where I live, that’s usually around October, but some years it’s November.) Until that point, peony leaves are quite lovely in early fall, changing color—usually to a golden hue—like other trees and shrubs.

Using a sharp pair of pruning shears, prune back all the stems right to ground level. Be gentle with the soil around the base of the plant. You want to be careful not to damage the crown at the soil level.

Even when peonies have flopped over, the foliage is still attractive in the garden. Consider plant supports to prevent peonies from falling under their weight or in a heavy rain storm.

Why it’s important to cut back peony plants

On this site, we talk about the reasons why gardeners should save the fall garden cleanup until spring. Peonies, however, are exempt from this rule. They’re one of those plants you should cut back, especially if you have had disease issues throughout the growing season. Cutting back a peony will help to prevent pests and diseases from harming the plant. Be sure that once you’ve pruned everything back, you remove all the plant debris from the area, including any leaves that may have fallen. Discard the trimmings—diseased leaves or insect-ravaged stems—right into the garbage, not the compost pile.

If you live in an especially cold climate, add a light layer of mulch (such as shredded bark or pine needles) at the base of the plant where you cut everything back. Be sure to remove your winter mulch in the spring. If you’re amending the soil around your peony with compost—plants prefer well-draining soil—don’t pile it on the crown, add it around the perimeter.

Pests and diseases, like botrytis (shown here), may be unsightly, but it’s important to leave the peony foliage intact until fall so that the plant can develop its leaves and flowers for the following season.

When to cut back Itoh and tree peonies

Itoh (or intersectional) peonies, which are a cross between the herbaceous peonies mentioned in this article and tree peonies, should follow the same pruning schedule. However in this case, prune the herbaceous part down to the woody party, which you should leave intact.

The best time to prune a tree peony is right after it blooms. Do not cut it back in the fall as you would an herbaceous or Itoh peony. You can do a light pruning in the spring before the shrub blooms. Use clean pruners to remove suckers around the base, as well as any dead wood.

To see how peonies should be cut back and hear about different timing options, check out this video:

More pruning advice

What to do with peonies after flowering - pruning and care

Peonies - plants are quite unpretentious. They grow on almost any soil, easily tolerate transplantation, and bloom beautifully. However, in order for the flowering to be plentiful, the plants need a little help. Moreover, care for peonies should begin immediately after flowering.

Many consider the rose to be the queen of flowers. But, for example, the Chinese call the peony the king of flowers. Peony is not inferior to rose in beauty, and is more fragrant, and less demanding to care for. Although it cannot be left unattended.

Peony has faded: what to do next

The lush flowering of this beauty does not last long - only a few weeks. And what to do with the plant after flowering?

This period is very important for the peony. What and how you do in these few months after flowering will determine the quality of your plant's flowering next year. After all, it is at this time that the bush restores strength and prepares for wintering. Moreover, just during this period, renewal buds are laid in it at the base of the stems, from which new shoots will appear in the spring.

Work after peonies bloom can be divided into several stages. Let's start in order.

Stage 1 - cleaning

After flowering, the whole ground around the peonies is covered with their numerous petals. These remnants of beauty must be removed immediately, because they can become breeding grounds for fungal diseases. It is also necessary to remove all dry inflorescences from the plant.

Step 2 - Watering

Peonies need moist soil to develop flower buds. However, many gardeners immediately stop watering after flowering plants. You should not do this, because. the flower in this case will experience stress, which will lead to the formation of weakened buds. Because of this, next year the peony will not be able to please you with lush flowering. Watering is especially important if there is a dry summer. The amount of water should be reduced gradually. If you poured, for example, 25 liters under a flowering bush, then after flowering, begin to reduce this volume. First, reduce the dose to 15 liters, then to 10 liters, etc. until complete cessation.

Stage 3 - loosening the soil

This simple plant care routine should not be neglected. Heavy rain or watering leads to the formation of a crust on the surface of the soil, and this prevents the access of air deep into the soil. In this case, loosening will help. This will also save the peony from unwanted neighbors - weeds.

To make life easier, the soil around the peony can be mulched. Grass cuts, sawdust, and humus are suitable as mulch.

Stage 4 - feeding

Despite its relative unpretentiousness, peony loves top dressing. The plant needs them both in spring, during the period of active growth, and during flowering. But, perhaps, in the period that follows after flowering, he needs them most of all. How to feed peonies after flowering?

We recommend the first top dressing after flowering with organic fertilizers, such as mullein. Make a circular furrow around the bush. Pour the mullein solution (1:10) into it. Fertilizer will promote the active growth of the root system, the formation of stems and renewal buds.

Another root dressing should be carried out in August. This time we recommend using not organic, but complex mineral fertilizers. Since peonies do not need nitrogen in autumn, use phosphorus-potassium top dressing (30-40 g per plant) and apply it in the same way as mullein - into the groove around the bush. After applying dry fertilizer, the groove must be moistened and covered with earth.

In addition to root, after flowering, it will not be superfluous to carry out one foliar top dressing with microelements. To do this, in dry weather, spray the bush with a solution of trace elements. You can use, for example, liquid mineral fertilizer Agricola (dissolve 5 ml of the drug in 1 liter of water).

Stage 5 - cutting

Inexperienced flower growers rush to prune a peony as soon as its buds have fallen off. Do not do this! Everything has its time.

The process of photosynthesis takes place in the leaves, thanks to which the plant receives the nutrients it needs. Consequently, it is the stems with the leaves located on them that are the source of nutrition in peonies, as in other flowers. If you remove them, you will deprive the bush of these substances. The plant, of course, will not die from this, but you should not expect lush flowering from it.

If you want to cut a bouquet of peonies when the bush is in bloom, take no more than 1/3 of all shoots. Otherwise, along with the flowers, you will take away the leaves from the plant - and with them the components necessary for photosynthesis.

Prune immediately after flowering the peony has only bare inflorescences. They are removed to the first healthy leaf.

If the autumn is warm, a peony cut too early will start to sprout. The first frosts will cause irreparable harm to your bush.

When can peonies be cut after flowering? It is impossible to name the exact time, because. it depends on weather conditions. We recommend focusing on the ambient temperature. After the first frosts, when the stems of peonies "fall down", they need to be cut off. In herbaceous peonies, the entire aerial part is removed. Remove the stems as close to the ground as possible, leaving no more than 2-3 cm.

Some gardeners cover the plants with cut foliage for the winter. We do not recommend doing this, because. stems can become a favorable breeding ground for pests. Cut plants are best collected and taken to a compost pit or burned.

Caring for tree varieties of peonies is somewhat different from caring for herbaceous varieties. Do tree peonies need to be pruned after flowering? Shrub peony species have strong tree-like stems (hence the name of the species). In no case can you cut them, because the flowering of these plants mainly occurs precisely on last year's shoots.

Such bushes need only sanitary pruning, which is best done in the spring. Dry, broken or weak branches should be removed from the peony bush. If necessary, formative pruning can be carried out every few years.

What else to do with peonies in autumn

In addition to the above-mentioned types of work that a peony needs in autumn, one can also name a transplant. If you have a large bush (at least 4-5 years old) or if it grows in an inconvenient place, it is better to transplant it. The best time for this is autumn.

Well, of course, you can't forget about protecting your pets before winter. We recommend mulching the ground around the bushes, for example, with a layer of peat or humus. The thickness of the layer varies depending on the weather conditions in your area - from 8-10 cm in temperate areas to 20-25 cm in places with more severe winters.

If you give your pet at least a minimum of attention, your unpretentious handsome peony will thank you next year with gorgeous blooms.

Proper pion cutting and peony life at home. Tips from fiftyflowers.ru

The history of peonies

Since ancient times, it was believed that only rich people had the right to grow peonies. Peony bushes adorned the imperial gardens in China, and their floral images were carefully drawn by skilled artists in Europe.

A special attitude to peonies is observed in Asia: in the philosophy of Feng Shui, for example, the peony symbolizes love and wealth, in Chinese painting there are many canvases with drawings of peonies, and Japanese breeders have bred many varieties of this plant.

Photo 1. Japanese print

What do peony flowers look like? These are shrubs 1 meter high with an abundance of decorative greenery and many large single flowers. The size, color and shape of peonies depends on the particular variety. The most common pink peonies are simple cupped and about 10 cm in diameter.

You can often find roses like peonies - similar and hard to distinguish when cut. In ancient Rome, they even joked about this. There is a legend that the peony tried in every possible way to outdo the rose. He acted selfish and pompous. And once he puffed himself up so much that he remained swollen.

Cut peonies

Many people are sure that there is nothing easier than collecting bouquets - tear yourself and tear flower after flower... Maybe it is. But what about plants?..

In order for any flowering plant to continue to please with its flowering further, you need to follow small but important rules.

How to cut peonies correctly?

  1. It is strictly forbidden to cut all the flowers from the bush! You can only cut half. Otherwise, the next year will give small flowers, or the bush will refuse to bloom at all.
  2. Cut the stem with the fewest leaves! The plant is herbaceous, lives by photosynthesis, and if you cut too many leaves, the plant may not survive the coming winter. It is worth remembering that when cutting peony flowers, at least 3 leaves should be left on the shoots.
  3. Use a sharp blade for cutting! Secateurs or well-sharpened scissors are best suited. The main thing is that the stem does not wrinkle, and the cutting tool must also be clean so as not to bring bacteria into the cut of the plant.

In addition, it is important to know that it is not recommended to cut flowers for the first 3 years after planting the bush in the garden. Peony gets used to the place for quite a long time, and it is better not to disturb him at this time.

Photo 2. Peony bush

Peonies are inconvenient for bouquets in that you should pick up just blooming flowers, because. already opened will not last long. Therefore, there is one trick - to cut off unblown peonies and help them open up without missing the most beautiful pore of the flower.

How to make peonies bloom? Everything is simple. You need to cut the tip of the stem with a sharp blade at a 45-degree angle and put the flowers in cold water for just 1 minute. Next, rearrange the bouquet in the main vase with water at room temperature. After 20-30 minutes, the buds will open, showing all the tenderness of the petals.

But there is one trouble that you can face when bringing a bouquet collected in the garden into the house - ants. An abundance of ants can often be seen on a peony bush. Insects are attracted by the aroma of young buds, and the juice of the plant goes like a treat. Therefore, dozens of small insects can be found on the assembled bouquet. No exaggeration! To get rid of ants on peony buds, you should dip the bouquet in water for a couple of minutes.

Keep peonies fresh

The bouquet of peonies is completed, but now I would like it to keep its fresh look longer.

Photo 3. Bouquet of peonies

How to save a bouquet of peonies?
  1. Cut flowers last longer in the morning. Peonies saturated with night moisture look fresher than those that have already dried in the midday sun. And cutting flowers is in their best form - thus fixing the "peak" of beauty.
  2. Before putting peonies in a vase, you can hold them for an hour or two in water (in a basin or in a bath) at a temperature of 20-25 degrees Celsius. The stems, leaves and petals are well saturated with moisture - and the flowers will last longer. In addition, you can get rid of ants (if the flowers have just been brought from the garden).
  3. Cut the leaves from the part of the stem that will be in the water while standing in the vase. If this is not done, the leaves will begin to rot, and the rot will move to the stem, as a result, the flower will quickly die.
  4. Make an incision along the stem about 5 cm long. This is necessary for better absorption of moisture. The sharpest knife is used. Also, cut the tip of the stem at a maximum angle.
  5. Change the water in the vase daily. Water should be taken at room temperature.
  6. To disinfect water, you can add an aspirin tablet or a couple of drops of potassium permanganate to it.

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