Fall Tips For Peonies That Lead To Bigger Blooms In The Spring

If you're lucky enough to grow fragrant, big-blooming peonies in your yard, then fall might just be the time to plan ahead for more flowers next spring. Peonies (Paeonia spp.) are a hardy perennial flower you can rely on for a lush and colorful garden. They thrive in U.S. Hardiness Zones 3 through 8. With a little bit of extra TLC this fall, such as dividing crowded peonies or pruning the plant, you'll ensure they're stronger come spring.

Autumn might be the perfect time to transplant a peony if you think it needs a brighter spot in the garden or a flower bed with better drainage. Since peonies love sunshine, too much shade might put the brakes on their blooms. Keep in mind that peonies can live to be 100 years or even older, so you might even decide to take them with you if you move.

In more temperate growing zones, September might be the best time to divide overgrown peonies. Crowded peonies likely won't flower as well ... and might not bloom much at all if they're too scrunched together. You shouldn't have to do this very often, just when it's a problem. To start, dig up the part of the plant you want to divide. Next, find the white buds growing up from the bundled root base. Cut the base into sections, making sure there are several white buds, also sometimes called eyes, and several healthy roots per division. Then, plant in a spot with plenty of sunlight. 

Another nice thing you can do for your peonies this fall might be to prune them. When exactly should you reshape the plant? Look for when peony leaves brown, usually after the first serious frost. Then, start by simply using your gardening shears to lop off dead parts of the plant. Feel free to trim back herbaceous peony varieties nearly to the ground in late fall, aiming for a couple of inches above the soil. Fear not — it'll pop back up next spring, good as new. 

Just make sure you don't slice into the crown of the plant. That's where next year's buds, or eyes, live, right at soil level or just beneath it. Another word of caution: If you've got a more woody variety of peony — or tree peony — don't cut into stems covered in bark. Also, never prune down a peony that's still green. Even if it doesn't have flowers, the green leaves absorb sunlight and squirrel it away for the boost it will need during the next blooming season. If you cut off green leaves and stems, you may have fewer flowers next spring.

During fall, also remove any leaves or other debris from near the base of your peony. This might help cut back on disease or infections. Other than a little cleaning, pruning, or dividing, you don't really need to do much by the way of winter care for peonies, since they typically do fine on their own.