2012 Cut Back Fall Foliage on Peonies

I can't believe it's December already, the last month of 2012. On Friday, the last day of November, I got a start on cutting back some of my peonies. That is the earliest I've started cutting them back in a few years. In the last couple of years, I've just been so busy that I haven't gotten around to cutting them back until after the new year. I actually cut back a few of them that still had some color on the foliage. Most of them were already brown, however. Here are the before and after pictures from cleaning up and cutting back my Saunderss peony garden. I also took the time to record the stem counts for any peonies I hadn't yet recorded the data on, and I also made sure to bag up all of the old peony foliage to try to prevent the spread of disease. Everything looks so much nicer now. Having a nice clean peony bed makes me long for spring when their soft pink tendrils will once again emerge from the soil!
Saunders Peony Garden with Dead Foliage


Saunders Peony Garden Cleaned Up

2012 Ashes on Peonies for Acidic Soil

Today I was excited to empty the ash bucket from my wood burning fireplace. I know that means I get to adjust the pH of the soil I grow my peonies in, naturally! There were a couple of spots in full sun that were starting to grow moss. Moss usually grows in shady, acidic soils. This spot is not shady. So I know I need to make some adjustments to make my acidic soil a bit more alkaline. The ashes from my fireplace are just the thing to do it! The soils in the southeastern United States are generally more acidic, but you can get your soil tested if you're not sure of the level. If you want to learn more, there's an article on Natural Fertilizer Materials from our local NC State University. If you're lucky enough to have a wood burning fireplace or even an outdoor firepit, be sure to save your wood ashes for your peonies!
Moss Growing in Peony Bed


Bucket with Wood Ashes for Peony Bed


Wood Ash on Peony Bed

2012 Colorful Fall Peony Foliage

I took these fall peony pictures 2 weeks ago today. As you can see there is a great range of color - red tipped green, yellow, orange, red, even black! Some varieties definitely display more fall colors than others - the more peony varieties, the better the display. Not only is there a range of color depending on the variety, but at times, a variety of color on the same plant! There are many reasons to plant peonies - their interesting new growth in late winter, their beautiful blossoms in spring, their lush green foliage in summer, and an array of colorful foliage during the fall season when they're slowing storing their energy reserves for the next year. So if you needed another reason to plant peonies, here's one more! :)

Peony 'Belleville'	Peony 'Feather Top'
Peony 'Feather Top'	Peony 'Kansas'
Peony 'Seashell'	Peony 'Seashell'

2012 Peony Mulch with Paper Bag Weed Barrier

With a half day off from work yesterday, I was able to get in a little bit of work in my yard. It's always tough in the fall when the time changes. The days are already getting shorter and the hour you lose just makes it that much darker when you finally do get home. I've been needing to mulch around the new peonies in my Saunders peony bed where I added on to it this fall. There is quite a bit of open space around some of them, and a few fall weeds had already begun to sprout. A great chemical free way to prevent weeds is with a layer of mulch, but what to do when the weeds are already sprouting? A good way is to lay down a barrier underneath the mulch. I am definitely not in favor of the plastic weed barriers. They never biodegrade. The weeds grown through them eventually, anyway, and you are left with a really big mess! What I like to do, that I've done in the past, is lay down a layer of brown paper as a weed barrier underneath the mulch. It protects the bed from weeds for a few seasons, and by the time is it no good, it has already started to biodegrade - so no mess! Also you can just keep adding layers of paper and mulch if you like. Here's a step by step pictorial to get you started.
Materials Needed: Paper Bags, Scissors, and Mulch


Peony Bed Addition with Weeds Sprouting


Peony Bed with Paper Bag Weed Barrier


Peony Bed with Mulch Piled on Paper Weed Bag Barrier


Peony Bed with Fresh Mulch Over a Paper Bag Weed Barrier

2012 How to Plant an Herbaceous Peony

Dig Hole for Herbaceous Peony
Herbaceous Peonies should be planted similar to Intersectional Peonies, taking care to make sure the root is facing the proper direction. This is very important for intersectional peonies as well and even more so with tree peonies. The first step and perhaps the most important step in planting a peony is preparing the soil. I usually dig at least a 3 foot round hole for each root, spading the soil with my shovel to make sure the dirt is nice and loose. After the hole is dug and the soil has been loosened, I add some organic fertilizer and lime (dolomitic limestone) to the soil in the hole and mix it in. The fertilizer is used to add nutrients to the soil and the lime is used to adjust the PH of the soil. In my area, most soils are acidic, and peonies prefer a more neutral to very slightly acidic soil, around a PH of 6.0 to 7.0.

Put Herbaceous Peony Root in Planting Hole
Next take a look at the peony root and make a smaller hole in the middle of your 3 foot round hole that will accommodate the size of the peony root. Herbaceous peonies stems die back to the ground each year. So there is not woody or semi-woody stem on the root. The herbaceous peony roots are usually a large storage root with perhaps smaller side roots and pink buds on the crown. The pink buds are where the new shoots and foliage will begin to emerge. Make sure to put the roots into the soil and try to put the buds pointing up towards the sky. In my southern climate the pink buds of the crown can be planted even with the soil, so that the roots are below the soil and the pink buds are slightly above, even, or just barely under the soil.

Cover Herbaceous Peony Root with Soil
Once the peony root has been planted, I cover the planting hole with a 1-2 inch layer of mulch, taking care to put only a small 1/2 inch layer of much over the crown itself. I may even leave it so the pink buds are barely visible or just below the mulch. You don't want to put too much mulch on herbaceous peonies in this climate. Otherwise the roots may not get enough chilling hours needed for blooming. They do however need enough mulch to retain moisture (It does get really hot here!) and prevent weed growth. After the peony has been mulched, I water the newly planted peony root. You can water your root before or after you mulch it. I just like to water mine afterwards because it seems like the soils stays in place a little better with the mulch already on top.

Mulch Herbaceous Peony