How to properly prepare peonies for winter and do they need to be covered?

Peonies are easy-to-grow perennials that thrive in any region of Russia. In the fall, prepare the plants for winter by removing shoots, fertilizing, and covering them. The success of overwintering flowers depends on proper preparation for frost.

Caring for peonies in autumn

After summer, the root system is weak—the plant has expended a lot of energy on flowering. The main task is to replenish the micronutrient deficiencies so the peonies have time to prepare for winter. Autumn care includes pruning, fungicide and insecticide sprays, and winter shelter.

Pruning peonies

The procedure is performed after the first frost. The shoots are trimmed with sharp pruning shears to ground level. In dry weather, the plant is watered after the procedure. Peonies are pruned for the winter after the onset of persistent cold weather. Early branch removal is harmful to the flowers – with ample daylight, the leaves continue to photosynthesise, delivering nutrients to the root system and strengthening it.

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Prevention of diseases and pests

At the beginning of the first month of autumn, flowers are sprayed with fungicides (OxyHom, Topaz). To control insects (ants, bronze beetles), plants are treated with insecticides (Aktara, Tarzan).

Fertilizers

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When wintering flowers in open ground, fertilizers are applied from September to mid-October:

• If the summer and autumn were rainy, scatter granules of any phosphorus or potassium fertilizer around the peonies - 15 g per bush;
• in dry weather, use liquid fertilizer - dilute 10 g of phosphorus and potassium in a bucket of water, and water the plants;
• You can make your own fertilizer by diluting 2 liters of manure in 2 buckets of water, placing the mixture in a barrel, and letting it sit for 2 weeks. Before use, add 200 g of wood ash and 100 g of superphosphate to the solution.

Transfer

To allow the plants time to take root, the procedure is carried out until mid-September. Peonies are planted in loose, fertile soil with a low water table. The plants are placed in 0.5-meter-diameter holes with pebbles and small stones in the bottom for drainage. A substrate—a mixture of equal parts garden soil, humus, manure, peat, and ash—is added to the hole. The soil is compacted and watered thoroughly.

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The influence of variety on care and shelter for the winter

Each species requires an individual approach; peonies vary in winter hardiness and varietal characteristics. The most resilient are ITO hybrids; the flowers can be grown in any region of Russia. These varieties are resistant to temperature fluctuations, but during severe frosts, the peony root system must be covered for the winter. Woody plants are more difficult to care for, as their woody shoots are difficult to remove.

Tree peonies

Branches don't need to be removed annually; after flowering, they are trimmed back to the first axillary bud. Before winter, the soil under the plant should be loosened and dry fertilizers such as dolomite and bone meal should be added (200 g per bush). In the fall, prepare the planting material: peonies can be dug up and stored for the winter, ready to be replanted in the garden in the spring. In October, the plant branches are tied. The soil is mulched, and when frost sets in, a shelter is made, and the flowers are covered with spruce branches.

Tree peony seedlings are planted outdoors in the fall. When replanting, avoid burying the root collar, as this will prevent the flowers from taking root. If the tree peony is grafted onto the root system of a herbaceous plant, the grafting point should be buried 8 cm into the soil.

The plant requires both sanitary and rejuvenating pruning. In the former case, damaged and diseased branches are removed. Rejuvenation is performed every 10-15 years. Pruning can be determined by external factors—such as poor growth, reduced flowering, or a halt in flowering. The procedure involves removing old shoots to promote new growth.

Herbaceous varieties

The plants are distinguished by their compact bush form, dense foliage, and robust root systems that tolerate frost well. The flowers are considered cryptophytes—their renewal buds are located underground. Each year, the plant retracts sections of its shoots at the base, providing protection from cold weather.

ITO hybrids

These varieties are frost-resistant; covering the plants is recommended only during the first year after planting and during cold winters. The flowers are easy to care for—no support is required and they thrive in shaded areas. Pruning is done after severe frosts, starting in mid-October. Unlike herbaceous varieties, the roots of ITO hybrids are difficult to separate during transplantation.

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Peculiarities of the dormant period and the need for shelter

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After peonies finish blooming, physiological processes in the plant cease. The flowers stop growing and developing, but they continue to live. You can recognize the onset of dormancy by external signs: flowering stops, leaves fall off. During this period, watering and fertilizing are reduced.

Successful overwintering depends on the planting location—bushes planted in different parts of the garden require different covering techniques. If the flowerbed is located in a sheltered, wind-protected area (for example, behind a house wall), covering the peonies with burlap during the winter is sufficient. In low-lying areas, the mulch layer should be increased (15-20 cm) to protect the plants from excess moisture.

Timing of preparing peonies for winter and methods of covering them

In southern regions (Krasnodar, Adygea), covering the flowers is not necessary. In central Russia (Moscow, the Moscow region, and the Leningrad region), plants are covered when the air temperature drops to 0ºC to -3ºC – in the first ten days of October. In the harsh climate of northern regions (Siberia, the Urals), peonies should be prepared for winter by early September.

After cutting the shoots, mulch the plantings with peat or sawdust, and cover the root system with spruce branches. If a cold winter is expected, use several layers of mulch, spunbond, or spruce branches. Avoid using cut branches of other flowers or fallen leaves as covering material, as they may harbor pests. In winter, sprinkle the flowerbed with snow.

If the flowerbed is located on a slope, the covering material is secured with wooden boxes or bricks to protect it from the wind. As temperatures rise in the spring, the covering is removed. The old mulch is raked into the row spacing. A thin layer is left on the surface – mulch protects the plant from drying out and prevents early weed growth.

After the snow melts, the soil becomes moist and the bush begins to actively form new shoots. Peonies look harmonious in flowerbeds with other perennials such as lilies, irises, and phlox. Tall plants decorate rock gardens, garden paths, and borders. On slopes, the flowers grow in beautiful rows on narrow, artificial mounds. When in bloom, they create a panoramic effect of a rising green slope strewn with vibrant flowers.