Gardener removed my peonies

[Anonymous]

Gardener pulled my lima bean sprout when I was in 3rd grade

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It’s recommended for at least the first five years to cut down your peonies so they don’t get damaged during the winter.

Why would they get damaged if you don’t cut them down?

Buds and blooms are the most sensitive to temperatures below freezing.

Huh? Peonies flower once in spring/early summer and the foliage later dies off in fall. New shoots come up from under the ground the next year to flower again. There’s nothing to get damaged regardless of whether you cut them back or not.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It’s recommended for at least the first five years to cut down your peonies so they don’t get damaged during the winter.

Why would they get damaged if you don’t cut them down?

Buds and blooms are the most sensitive to temperatures below freezing.

Huh? Peonies flower once in spring/early summer and the foliage later dies off in fall. New shoots come up from under the ground the next year to flower again. There’s nothing to get damaged regardless of whether you cut them back or not.

The common wisdom (whether true or not) is that the dead foliage channels water down to the buds and damages them and makes them more prone to fungus. So removing the foliage keeps the buds drier and removes the fungus spores that remained on last year’s foliage, preventing it next year.

I sometimes cut the foliage, sometimes not, doesn’t seem to make a difference in next year’s blooms.

OP, I’m glad your peonies aren’t harmed! Enjoy them next spring!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It’s recommended for at least the first five years to cut down your peonies so they don’t get damaged during the winter.

Why would they get damaged if you don’t cut them down?

Buds and blooms are the most sensitive to temperatures below freezing.

Huh? Peonies flower once in spring/early summer and the foliage later dies off in fall. New shoots come up from under the ground the next year to flower again. There’s nothing to get damaged regardless of whether you cut them back or not.

The common wisdom (whether true or not) is that the dead foliage channels water down to the buds and damages them and makes them more prone to fungus. So removing the foliage keeps the buds drier and removes the fungus spores that remained on last year’s foliage, preventing it next year.

I sometimes cut the foliage, sometimes not, doesn’t seem to make a difference in next year’s blooms.

OP, I’m glad your peonies aren’t harmed! Enjoy them next spring!

Never heard of this and I have 25 different types of peonies I’ve been growing for almost 30 years. The fungus is mostly an aesthetic issue. It doesn’t damage anything. I remove the top growth in late fall just to have neat appearance, but it’s not required.

[Anonymous]

Mine cut back my hydrangeas all the way. Of course they grew back but they had weak stems and were head-heavy. After two years of that (they were good otherwise) they do. not. touch my hydrangeas. Bonus is I get the dried flowers too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Mine cut back my hydrangeas all the way. Of course they grew back but they had weak stems and were head-heavy. After two years of that (they were good otherwise) they do. not. touch my hydrangeas. Bonus is I get the dried flowers too.

Hydrangeas flower on old wood so that is a real bummer.

[Anonymous]

I seriously was having a panic attack for you. I'm glad your peonies are okay.