perennial > PEONIES > OVERWINTERING

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PEONY GUIDES

white flowering peonies growing outside in front of a blue sky

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Peonies are perennials which can be a great selection for many UK garden .

They come in a wide of the mark range of a function of flower people of color and can vary quite a lot in other thing , like size and foliage , too .

roots of peonies protected from a covering of snow by mounds of mulch

Even though peonies do postulate care , when it amount to how to look after peonies in the wintertime , you will find that they are comparatively undemanding .

Although peonies can differ in their validity , almost all are fully able of making it through the winter months in our climate totally unscathed .

They usually die back over wintertime , enter full quiescency , before they spring back into full animation in the spring .

gardener shown cutting back peony to its roots in autumn as part of winter preparation

Read on to learn a petty more about getting your paeony ready for winter and protect emerging foliation and flower buds from late frosts .

Preparing Herbaceous & Intersectional Peonies

for keep herbaceous and intersectional peonies in good health , it is important to take charge of one primal job before winter well and genuinely arrives .

“ In the autumn , we send word taking away any of the deadened fore , as this is where botrytis can overwinter and cause damage to the fresh outpouring growth , ” explains Kate Blacker , a peony grower and owner of slight Budds Peony Farm .

These peonies should be trim back to the flat coat as soon as the foliation dies back in autumn .

pruned back peony plant with orange buds appearing covered in a layer of snow

As Kate says , this is a good idea because the bushed foliage can harbour fungi and other micro - organism which can increase the chances of disease film hold the undermentioned twelvemonth .

“ If botrytis has been a problem , assay a thick mulch bed of woodchips , ” shares Master Horticulturist Colin Skelly .

“ This has the impression of reducing the splashback from grease which helps to spread fungal spore . It is also cracking for moisture retention and the slow breakdown of organic matter and nutrients . ”

horticultural fleece used as winter protection for peonies and rhododendrons, with frost shown in the background

Peony wilt is another job which can occur if you do not chop back and withdraw all the numb leafage and dispose of it carefully before winter come .

Preparing Tree Peonies

Tree paeony typically do not need much pruning at all .

These shrubs should , however , be check over in wintertime for dead or damage branches and these should be burn back to a healthy bud .

Some tree peonies have vigorous , erect stem .

To control the size of these once they are mature , it can be a just idea to consider removing some of the old stems at ground level in the fall .

Protecting From Late Frosts

While most peony are fully fearless when dormant over the wintertime months , some tree paeony may have tippy new growth of leaves and bud in spring which can be damaged by former frost .

If a recent frost jeopardise , you may protect this Modern growth with a cover of horticultural sheepskin .