Knowledgebase
cutting back peonies #864192
Asked April 11, 2024, 9:47 PM EDT
Hello. We moved here last June 2023. The home we bought has a peony "bush". I think it may be an Itoh. Not sure. It had beautiful bright pink blooms on it. It was bush like. Beautiful! But then there was a hail/rain storm and the bush became covered with powdery mildew so we cut it to the ground. Now there are multiple red shoots coming up. I'm relieved that it is still living. So my question is, do we need to cut it to the ground every year? And if so, what time of year do we cut it down? Can we just leave it alone if it looks healthy?
Thank you for your time.
Maria Ganzfried
Arapahoe County Colorado
Expert Response
Hi Maria,
Thank you for reaching out to Ask Extension with your peony question!
Your peony is an herbaceous perennial and will die back every year and then grow new stems from the roots each spring. You can either cut back the foliage to the ground in late fall/early winter or wait until early spring to remove. If you do it at the end of the growing season (fall/early winter) it would be recommended to wait until the foliage has died back and is no longer green.
You also mentioned that your peony had powdery mildew last season. This is a common disease in our area. You might plan on cutting back your peony in the fall/late winter and remove all foliage to help keep this fungus from over wintering in the garden.
Here is more information about powdery mildew and how to control it:
https://extension.colostate.edu/topic-areas/yard-garden/powdery-mildews-2-902/
Here is more information about peonies:
https://planttalk.colostate.edu/topics/annuals-perennials/1042-peony/
Here is more information about herbaceous perennials and caring for them:
https://planttalk.colostate.edu/topics/annuals-perennials/1019-perennials-maintaining/
I hope this helps.
Thanks,
Dawn
You are welcome!
Dawn
