To keep them from freezing in winter: how to care for peonies in autumn

Peonies, which enchant us with their beauty in spring, need attention and care in autumn. To ensure that next spring is generous with large buds, this is the time to take care of them.

UAportal will tell you about the proper care of tree and herbaceous peonies.

Caring for tree peonies:

Particular attention should be paid to tree peonies, especially if they are grafted plants. Severe frosts can cause the flowers to freeze.

See also: Decorating your garden: how to plant and care for peonies so that they bloom beautifully

Although this type of peony is generally resistant to cold, snowless winters and frosts can cause significant damage. Therefore, you should tie up the peony shoots and mulch them with wood peat at the roots at the beginning of October. Peat, unlike leaves or straw, does not contribute to the development of grey rot.

After the onset of cold weather, the bush should be covered with spruce branches, burlap or non-woven material, such as spunbond. If there is no longer a threat of frost in spring, the shelter can be removed, as tree peonies are quite resistant to the return of cold.

Caring for herbaceous peonies:

Herbaceous peonies should be cut back to almost ground level before the onset of winter. It is important to avoid leaving stumps so as not to create favourable conditions for the development of grey rot and other fungal diseases.

You can sprinkle ash on the ground around the bush as a preventive measure against viral diseases. Plant debris left after pruning should be burned. Herbaceous peonies do not need additional protection from frost as they are quite resistant to cold.

As a reminder, we have already reporden on how to use iodine to feed plants.

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