Plan the perfect garden with our interactive tool →

Winter Care of Peonies

...

Tip

Use evergreen boughs instead of straw mulch if they are more readily available.

Apply potash to the soil after the peonies stop flowering to add nutrients to the soil.

Warning

Avoid watering the peonies during the winter months since peonies must go dormant to bloom in spring.

Preparing your peonies to survive winter is a simple task whether the plants are freshly placed in the bed or have been thriving there for years. Long-lived peonies require minimum maintenance when compared to other popular bedding flowers. They also require cold winter temperatures in order to bloom the following spring so there's no need to dig them up and store them for the winter. Prepare the beds to protect them from the winter elements and from disease to ensure bright blooms in spring.

Allow the leaves to die back naturally in autumn. Remove all the dead, yellowed leaves and cut the stems down to a height of 3 inches with garden pruners.

Dispose of and destroy the spent stems and leaves; do not leave them in the bed or add them to a compost pile. This practice prevents disease from attacking the peony bed.

  • Preparing your peonies to survive winter is a simple task whether the plants are freshly placed in the bed or have been thriving there for years.
  • Prepare the beds to protect them from the winter elements and from disease to ensure bright blooms in spring.

Remove any organic mulch that was laid on the bed in the spring. Destroy the mulch to eliminate pests and disease.

Remove any weeds that are still growing in the bed. Take care not to disturb the peony tubers and roots beneath the soil surface when you are weeding.

Apply 2 to 4 inches of straw mulch over the cleaned beds. This stabilizes the peony bed's winter temperature and preserves moisture through the cold months.

Related Articles

Fall Care of Peonies
Fall Care of Peonies
How to Winterize Bellflowers
How to Winterize Bellflowers
Care of Daylilies
Care of Daylilies
How to Transplant Crocus Bulbs
How to Transplant Crocus Bulbs
How to Plant Anemone Bulbs
How to Plant Anemone Bulbs
Are Dahlias Annual or Perennials?
Are Dahlias Annual or Perennials?
How to Transplant Garden Mums From Pots Into the Ground
How to Transplant Garden Mums From Pots Into the Ground
How to Cut Back Peonies in Minnesota
How to Cut Back Peonies in Minnesota
How to Care for Fernleaf Peonies
How to Care for Fernleaf Peonies
How to Deadhead Hollyhocks
How to Deadhead Hollyhocks
Symbolic Meaning of Peony
Symbolic Meaning of Peony
How to Keep Dianthus Blooming
How to Keep Dianthus Blooming
How to Dead-Head Gerbera Daisies
How to Dead-Head Gerbera Daisies
How to Winterize Canna Lily Bulbs
How to Winterize Canna Lily Bulbs
How to Winterize Bleeding Heart
How to Winterize Bleeding Heart
How to Transplant Allium
How to Transplant Allium
Planting Iris Bulbs in Spring
Planting Iris Bulbs in Spring
How to Prune a Gladiolus
How to Prune a Gladiolus
How to Prepare Aster Flowers for Winter
How to Prepare Aster Flowers for Winter
Garden Guides
×