Picking peonies

Picking peonies

In this lesson we demonstrate how to plant, care for and pick peonies using as an example a mature specimen originating from New Zealand. These peonies arrived in France from New Zealand in a leather suitcase in 2004 only to be lifted again and taken to Wardington Manor in Oxfordshire, until their return to France in 2020.

Planting peonies

OUR ADVICE:

• Don't be frightened of moving peonies. Contrary to a common belief, peonies benefit from being moved and divided (like irises). Usually they need about seven years of growth to reach this stage.
• Peonies need a lot of air, light and space around them; to allow room for growth, plant them 1m apart in full sun in a rich but well-drained soil.
• Peony flowering stems come from the roots (which look like sweet potatoes), and the roots get their energy from the sunlight through the leaves. Getting light to the roots is the key to establishing a really strong plant.
• To get maximum light to the roots, it's very important not to remove too much leaf from the plant in the first couple of years of its growth.

Plant care

• Water and feed with compost teas to get the goodness to the leaves.
• Avoid deadheading during the flowering season; it's better for the plant if the flowers are picked when they are in full bloom.
• If you have to deadhead the plant, cut close to the bloom to allow for photosynthesis to work and take the goodness to the root.
• When picking peonies, cut no more than a 60cm length (approx. from palm to elbow). Avoid cutting longer stems unless the plant is very well established. Always think about how to get maximum light into the roots in order to establish a really strong plant.
• At the end of the flowering season, deadhead flowers and check the plant for any signs of black mould (botrytis). Remove the affected stem by pulling it out from the base of the plant; ideally it should come out with a bit of root attached.
• Do not compost botrytis-infected leaves and stems; burn them.