Tree Peony care?

I have a tree peony which someone gave me from their garden. It has grown quite large and is starting to fall over onto my lawn. Should I cut it back and if so, when and to what height?

Tree Peony care?
You should only cut back any dead limbs or prune any faded blooms. If it is growing and falling over then I would suggest that you stake the tree to keep it from falling over. It should continue to grow just make sure that you stake and tie it loosely to keep it from becoming strangled by the ties. It should grow thicker and eventually it would be strong enough to stand on its own.
Reply:Tree peonies respond well to pruning. You should aim for a broad, multistemmed shrub of up to 120-150cms in height which will not need staking. Chinese and American types have a naturally branching habit and will need less regular pruning than the Japanese and French types.


In February, just as the growth buds are swelling, trim off all the dead wood. You will often find that the new shoots are coming from lower down the stem, leaving a small dead spur. Whole branches will sometimes die. These should be pruned back to a live bud, or to just above ground level.


With a young plant, only remove dead wood during the first two years to help get the plant established . Don't be tempted to prune. After this if your plant forms a good shape, no regular pruning is needed. However, if your plant has few stems and is poorly shaped, then prune hard. You may see buds at the base of the stem or shoots coming from below the soil. Prune back to these or down to 15cms or less from the ground. Even if you can't see any basal buds, adventitious ones will form.


The best time to prune is early spring, although this may mean that you sacrifice some flowers in the coming year. You can prune directly after flowering but regrowth is slower.


If you have, or inherit, an older tree peony which has never been pruned, it can be transformed and rejuvenated by applying this technique. It is best to prune just one main stem each year, cutting it down to about 15 cms. It takes courage to do this, but is usually successful.