Forum home› Problem solving
This Forum will close on Wednesday 27 March, 2024. Please refer to the announcement on the Discussions page for further detail.

Help with Peonies

jaigh83jaigh83 Posts: 10
in Problem solving


I've recently moved to a new house and have inherited some peonies.  At first they stood upright and everything was fine but last week they've went like this.  The stems aren't broken, the flowers are flowering and the leaves look healthy so why aren't they upright anymore?

Do they need more water or are the flowers just too heavy for the stems and need to be tethered to the fence?

Posts

  • Hostafan1Hostafan1 Posts: 34,889
    they just need some support. 
    Devon.
  • Arthur1Arthur1 Posts: 542
    This is a feature of peonies. They have heavy foliage and flowers. Possibly rain did this.
    Ideally, next year you can stake them before they need it so they grow through and hide the stakes. You can buy metal supports specifically for peonies. Or use bent canes, or pea sticks. The point is that, for best effect, you support the plants early.  You can stake them now to rescue this year's flowers but the stakes will show. 
    Peonies are beautiful but have a short season. They nearly all need stakes.
  • AnniDAnniD Posts: 12,585
    You can buy supports especially for peonies, but they need to be put in place in Spring just as the shoots begin to appear. I would just use some canes and string for now just to hold them back up  :)
  • jaigh83jaigh83 Posts: 10
    It did happen after some heavy rain so at least I know the plant is fine.  I've never had peonies before and I'm only an amateur gardener so thank you for your advice.
  • FayeGFayeG Posts: 34
    Hi @jaigh83 - It's my first flowering year of peony's and not many flowers but doing the same.  I popped in a few canes and tied them so the flowers are on show and they look lovely right now.  There are supports especially for plants such as peony's (round with cross sections).   They tend to flower late spring through to early summer for weeks.  The number of flowers increase each year for the first few years.  They die back in autumn and can be cut to ground level to avoid wilt or disease.  They are a fabulous display aren't they - but it seems you are doing nothing wrong except a support will help you to enjoy them more.   :)
Sign In or Register to comment.