How To Cut Back Peonies, by Budget Gardening with Vita Loca on YouTube. 2 min 51 s.
- Video length
- 2 min 51 s
- Time to do it
- 15 minutes
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Steps
- 6
What you need
Steps
Wait until the leaves turn yellow and die back in fall, usually after the first frost. Do not cut healthy green peony foliage in midsummer.
Put on gloves and wipe the pruner blades with rubbing alcohol or a garden disinfectant. Let them dry before you cut.
Use sharp bypass pruners to cut each stem about 2 to 3 inches above the soil. Make clean cuts and remove the stems.
Rake up all fallen leaves and cut stems. Put them in a yard waste bag, and do not compost foliage from diseased plants.
Wipe the pruners with alcohol again after you finish. Clean tools help stop disease spreading to other plants.
To tidy plants after flowering, cut only the spent flower head back to a strong leaf. Leave the rest of the peony to grow.
Tips and common mistakes
Do not cut green peony foliage in summer because the leaves feed the roots for next year's flowers.
Clean pruners between plants if you have several peonies, especially after any sign of mold or leaf spot.
Leave short 2 to 3 inch stubs so you can see where the crowns are in spring.
Questions
Should I cut back peonies after flowering?
No, usually just remove the spent flower head. Cut the whole plant back in fall once the foliage dies down.
How low should I cut peonies?
Cut stems to about 2 to 3 inches above soil level. Do not leave tall stems that can flop or harbour disease.
Can I compost peony leaves?
Only healthy leaves. Bag and bin leaves from plants with spots, mold or other disease.
This guide was drafted from the video's details and general task knowledge. It has not been checked against the full video. Check the video and relevant product instructions before following a procedure. Report a correction.
