Fall care of Itoh peonies

13 years ago

Ok so I have been searching for some time now, do Itoh peonies need to be cut down? The stem still feel quite hard (-its 2F) so I didnt want to cut them down just yet since we decorated them with Christmas lights. (New house, its all we have so far!).

I cut my herbaceous down in fall and leave the tree peonies standing, wasnt sure about Itoh.

thanks

Featured Answer

peonyman

13 years ago

Bradarmi,

Fall care for intersectional peonies is the same as for the herbaceous parents of this group so the stems should be cut back to the ground.

I generally find tree-peony-like buds on the stems that appear to be perennial in nature however I have never seen one of these buds to survive the winter. These above ground buds can be used for grafting onto herbaceous roots and some of these grafts have survived for me. Tree peony roots should work for grafting also however I have not tried that. I sure would think that roots of intersectional peonies would also work.

Generally I don't cut mine all the way to the ground. I, being the optimistic sort that I am, can't seem to bring myself to remove those buds. I cut the stems to just above the top bud in hopes that these will come out the following spring. As I said earier, I have not found any of these buds or stems to survive yet but this next spring I will be checking again to see if any survive.

Actually they should be cut to avoid carrying over botrytis spores from the prior year. "Don't do as I do, do as I say do?"

Leon

Comments (7)

daveinohio_2007
13 years ago
Our itohs get cut to ground in late fall,
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bradarmi
Original Author
13 years ago
Thanks guys after Christmas they will be cut down (there's lights on them!).
Stig_of_the_Dump
13 years ago
I have a couple of Barzellas, and the buds on the exposed stalks die during the winter. Could I mulch one of them (cover the stalks with compost) and get a larger plant the next year? I suppose the mulched one will not flower well, but the other one will.
peonyman
13 years ago

Stig,

What USDA Zone are you located?

I would not mulch the plant or use compost on the buds. Mulch and compost will introduce and harbor fungal spores and that could be a recipe for a massive botrytis problem. This is especially the case if you have a wet late winter and early spring.

Stig, you have given me an idea. I do wonder in early spring as the plants are sending up stems could you pull a stem down to the ground so later the upstem buds could just be covered by mounding soil around it. Buds that are just below the ground surface seem to survive ok here in Zone 5.

Once the stems begin to age they harden and I don't think you could bend them down because they would be too brittle. You would have to bend them down as they are growing. It would be worth experimenting with. This may not give you a larger plant but it would give you an additional plant. This is really just simply "ground layering" for propagaion.

I think I will try this on some of my intersectionals this spring. Let me know if you (or anyone else that wants to try it) succeeds at this.

Leon
Stig_of_the_Dump
13 years ago
Leon,

Hard to say exactly the hardiness zone, but the Gulf Stream gives us relatively mild winters and about 215 growth days here in the fjords on the west coast of Norway (not far from Bergen). Mind you, the temperature may drop to -20 C, as it did last year, and the last couple of winters have been long and cold. Zone 6, perhaps?

I will try the layering this spring. I am worried the "branches" will break, but it will be very interesting to find out. Another reason to look forward to spring!

I am sure there are many "secrets of propagation" on the different peonies, discovered by nurseries and gardeners. It must be tempting to keep the secrets to avoid people getting their plants for free. I do not think this is the case, though. The more peonies I buy and propagate the more new varieties I buy. Well, that's me, anyway.

Leon, thanks for sharing your insights and experience!
suzie1247
4 years ago
Has anyone had any Luck propagating Intersectional Peonies by “ground layering”