They may be the first blooms of summer, but that doesn’t mean that gardening season is over for these romantic blooms. In fact, every gardener needs to learn how to care for peonies in autumn if they want to see these ruffled flowers survive the winter months ahead.
Yes, there’s more to growing peonies than figuring out where and when to plant them. Why? Well, as it so happens, these popular flowers need some extra special TLC in the season of mist and mellow fruitfulness; you can’t just hope for the best and leave them to their own devices.
Whether you call it overwintering or just good sense, then, here’s what you need to do now in order to prep your peonies for any and all cold snaps to come…
1. Cut back the foliage
The easiest thing that you can do to care for peonies in the autumn? According to Morris Hankinson of Hopes Grove Nurseries, you need to cut these plants back.
‘Use clean, sharp secateurs and cut all foliage down to the ground after it has turned brown and died back naturally,’ he says.
Morris Hankinson is the founder and managing director of Hopes Grove Nurseries Ltd, the UK’s only specialist grower-retailer of hedging plants. He established the thriving business in 1992, shortly after graduating with a Commercial Horticulture Degree from Writtle College, Essex.
To that end, then, we recommend using something like this 3-in-1 Sharpening Tool from Amazon on your secateurs before you get to work.
2. Tidy and mulch
You guessed it, everyone; mulching is an essential part of caring for your peonies in autumn.
‘Remove all plant debris from around the base of the peony and add a thin mulch such as any well rotted organic matter, including leaf mould and garden compost,’ advises Morris.
‘This will help to protect the roots over winter and feed the soil for the following year.’
Ideally, you want to get this done before the first frosts of the year, so keep an eye on the weather forecast.
3. Check drainage
It is a truth universally acknowledged that ‘peonies don’t like wet soil, especially when it’s cold over winter,’ says Morris.
‘If your soil needs to be better drained, add some grit to the soil, raise the planting area and mulch.’
Christopher O’Donoghue of Gardens Revived agrees. ‘While I’m a big advocate for mulching and its benefits, a high-quality horticultural grit is another brilliant way to improve drainage,’ he says.
A gardener with over a decade of experience under his belt, Christopher set up Gardens Revived with his brother, Andrew, in 2018 to create a thriving family business. He has since worked on residential gardens, listed buildings and gardens, award-winning RHS flower show gardens, and large estates with some exceeding 70 acres – many with historical significance.
Try something, then, like the RHS Horticultural Potting Grit from B&Q; it comes approved by the Royal Horticultural Society themselves, so you know you're onto a winner!
4. Divide or replant
You’ve heard of divide and conquer; when it comes to caring for your peonies in the autumn, it’s time to divide and replant.
‘Autumn is the best time to divide herbaceous peonies if they have become overcrowded, but if the weather is very mild, this can be done a little later in the year,’ says Morris.
‘Make sure each division has 3 to 5 healthy buds and plant no more than 2.5cm below the soil surface.’
Morris adds that you should ‘protect crowns with a light layer of straw or bark to provide frost protection’.
5. Protect from pests
Finally, but by no means least, take care to ‘keep a check around the base of the plants for slugs and snails’.
‘Over winter, they won’t do much damage, but as soon as the new shoots appear in spring, they will happily munch on them,’ warns Morris.
Try using something like this adhesive copper slug tape from Amazon to stop these slimy slithering pests in their tracks. You could also sprinkle coffee grounds if you’re looking for another way to stop slugs naturally (aka without resorting to chemicals).
FAQs
Should peonies be cut back in autumn?
Yes, you should cut peonies back in autumn, especially if you want them to survive the winter.
‘It might seem scary, but cutting herbaceous peonies back to just above ground level is the best way to overwinter them,’ says Christopher O’Donoghue of Gardens Revived.
‘Just take care you wait for the foliage to die back completely before you do this. Usually, this will happen after the first frosts of the year.’
What to do with peonies in the autumn?
The most important thing to do to peonies in the autumn is cut them back after the foliage turns brown or black (usually after the first frost). Then, clear away all the leaves and add some well-aged, nutrient-rich compost over the peony roots to mulch them – and voila!
So long as you’ve planted them in well-draining soil, and so long as you’ve taken precautions against slugs, you should be able to forget about them until spring.
And just like that, you know how to care for peonies in the autumn so they survive the winter. You’re welcome, and good luck…
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