Hi, I'm in ohio so I don't know what you would do there differently but I have always had peonies. After the season when they start dying out i cut them down to about 4 inch stems. they will eventually die back completely and you will not see much except some dead wood through the winter. In the spring when your cleaning up you will be able to seethem sprouting up, get rid of any old growth and they will come up all new again! I mulched as a matter of course but not sure if it's necessary. they are the best plant! good luck!

Cut them back and forget about them till spring. If you mulch them remember that you'll need to pull the mulch back from the crown in the spring so that the eyes are no deeper in the dirt than two inches or less. Otherwise, you will not get blooms.

Just make sure you do good fall clean up and you'll be doing yourself and the peonies a favor. I don't fertilize my peony and they do just fine.

Diann

I'm assuming this is the best time to move them? I am thinking about moving one towards the mailbox b/c that area gets ALOT of sun.

Yes move them now. If you want to divide, do that now also. Al

Please help!!!
I recently moved into a new home in Pennsylvania (zone 6) and don't know a soul. I was given a layout of the current garden and the former owner (who left no forwarding # or address) gave me a garden layout which includes a 20 foot narrow garden of Sarah Bernhard peonies. She stated that they are very hardy and have never needed to be staked. They were planted 5 years ago. At the height of bloom season (spring) they are about 5 feet tall. Since I just moved in on the 1st of October I am now looking at all the stalks and leaves lying on top of each other (very thick stalks); however nothing appears to be rotting, just some leaf petals are starting to get brown but are still attached to the stems. I'm new to gardening so I need details. Is cutting foilage back to 2" above ground virtually mean cutting every stalk right to the ground? I'm so afraid of killing these gorgeous flowers. With the little research I've done, I'm just not sure if the Sarah Bernhardts are a tree, hervaceous or intersectional. As you can see I've never grown peonies before but based on the pictures I'd like to start expanding my current garden. Help... the first frost is just around the corner. What do I do??
Thanks,

Sarah is a herbaceous peony.

Just follow the instructions given above, and you should have a beautiful display to enjoy in 2007.

Welcome to GW! I see you just joined today.

Sue

you can visit our site and download the care instructions or you can visit us in April in Leesburg, VA.

www.chinesetreepeony.com

What are the pieces on the plant after the petals fall off? Are they seeds and can I start new plants from these?

I just got some peonies this summer and I put them into pots. Now that winter is comming I was woundering for whats the best way on how to store them in their pots over the winter.

Is it too late to move peonies in my zone 6 garden?
Jude

i transplanted a few potted peony plants to the ground last summer, then cut back the dead buds and dead leaves in the fall. however, i neglected to cut the stems down, i am knew to gardening (especially peonies, which seem to be quite particular). have i done something detrimental by not cutting the stems back? will the plant not sprout this summer?
i'm a little worried. i'm planning to cut them back now, but is it too late? should i still do it or should i not bother? what can i expect?
also, i have them planted beneath a dogwood in my yard (in new jersey), is this an alright location?
help! thank you in advance for your assistance and advice.

Coolbirth it sounds from your description that your peony may be a tree peony. If it is, should have a woody stem, you do not cut them back. Just wait to see where the buds appear before you do anything drastic. You may have new stems come up fro the soil with a tree peony but the leaves should look different from a regular peony. If you have the labels to look up the names it would help identify them.

Does anyone cut peony leaves and compost them? Mine are just starting to turn brown, and I think that's what I will do today!

According to peonies experts, It is best not to compost peony leaves as they may harbor fungal diseases - botrytis kills your flower buds and plants too if it gets bad enough.