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Peony plant. Is it dying?

LittleLime48LittleLime48 Posts: 11
in Problem solving

Hi everyone,

I am hoping that my peony that I planted in the early summer isn't dying.

The leaves are a brown/yellow colour but I am unsure if this is normal for peonies in Autumn?

Any help would be much appreciated. I will try to add a picture.

Many thanks

Last edited: 27 October 2017 09:13:02

Posts

  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,147

    Hi Melissa ... don't panic ... they go brown and die right down for the winter.  I find it useful to pop a stick in to mark where they are 'cos they totally disappear ... I once dug one up by mistake image

    You'll see beautuful shoots, often deep red colour, popping up in late winter/early spring image


    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • LittleLime48LittleLime48 Posts: 11

    Thank you!!! Phew, what a relief :) 

  • PalaisglidePalaisglide Posts: 3,414

    Melissa, My Peony's are well established bushes that have been in years, after cutting off the flowering stalks once the flowers are finished I leave well alone. In time the leaves turn brown the stalks wither but i leave the top alone as a frost guard over the root stock.

    In Spring as Dove says you will see life begin with what look like red buds that is when I carefully cut back all the old growth and with a small brush clean around those buds. Then put a good mulch around the root stock but not touching it, I put some of my Compost mixed with a handful of granular fertiliser and water it in. The only other thing I do is once the new growth starts to spring up put in some support for when it flowers those heads are big and heavy, we usually get the winds that time of years and your lovely flower heads will fall down. Once I see the buds I string between the stakes criss crossing the string and find it keeps the heads up. Hopes this helps.

    Frank.

  • LittleLime48LittleLime48 Posts: 11

    Thanks Frank that is really good to know and helpful for when spring comes round. 

    Thanks again,

    Melissa 

  • marymvalentinemarymvalentine Posts: 1
    Planted my first two peonies ever last year. Freaked me out when they died back leaving no trace that they'd been there at any point. I kind of knew that they did this, but only from other people's gardens, nevertheless, when they vanished in my garden, I was all like, "Are they dead or what?" Here it is, late January (mild climate where I live- western Oregon), no sign of them yet, but after reading this, I'm more positive about their re-emergence.
  • fidgetbonesfidgetbones Posts: 17,618
    Time to give them a mulch, in a couple  of months add a handful of blood fish and bone around them and mix it into the mulch  as they come up, if you want good blooms this year.
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