I always prune peonies at this time. The buds grow larger than your hand and smell wonderful

The peony is beautiful, but demanding in cultivation. Its undoubted advantage is the fact that it is a long-lived plant. It can grow in the same place for up to 15 years. It blooms in May and June. The most common varieties are white, pink and purple. If you remember to regularly remove faded flowers, the peony will reward you with beautiful buds.

When to plant peonies? Save the date in your calendar so you don’t miss it

The plant likes sunny places sheltered from the wind. It feels best in fertile, permeable and slightly acidic soil. You need to leave a lot of space around peonies because they can reach really large sizes and grow quickly. The ideal time for planting is the turn of August and September. The flower needs regular watering, especially in summer.

To reduce water evaporation, you can mulch the soil around it with garden bark. If you want your peony to bloom healthily and luxuriantly, you must remember to fertilize it. The nutrient should be dedicated to flowering plants and contain a lot of phosphorus and potassium. This is the key to getting huge buds.

Pruning peonies Maryviolet/iStock

When to prune peonies? Follow the 1/3 rule

Peonies should be trimmed before winter. Don’t leave it to the last minute and make the cut in September. Remove dead shoots and cut healthy ones to 1/3 of their length. During the growing season, do not cut or tear off the leaves. Despite all efforts, it may happen that the plant will not bloom profusely. Most often, the cause is too little light. A flower needs 6 hours of sunlight a day to grow healthily. The second common mistake is using inappropriate fertilizer. If it has too much nitrogen, instead of improving the plant, it will only worsen its condition. The leaves will develop nice and quickly, but the flowers will be in poor condition. If you feel like it, vote in our poll below.