How to Take Care of Peonies – Beginner’s Guide

Hey there! Do you love big, fluffy, super-pretty flowers? Then peonies are PERFECT for you! These flowers look like giant cotton candy blooms and smell amazing. The best part? If you take good care of them, they’ll come back every year—like magic!

Step by Step Guide

1. Pick the Perfect Spot

Peonies love sunshine—like, a LOT of it! Plant them where they’ll get at least 6 hours of sun every day. If they don’t get enough light, they might be lazy and not bloom much. Also, make sure the dirt isn’t too soggy, or their roots will get grumpy.

2. Planting Your Peony Like a Pro

• When to plant: Fall is the BEST time (like when school starts). This gives them time to settle in before winter.
• How deep to plant: If you’re planting a peony root (it looks like a weird lump with little pink “eyes”), don’t bury it too deep! The eyes should be just 2 inches under the dirt. If you plant it too deep, it might never flower—and that’s sad.

3. Watering – Not Too Much, Not Too Little

Peonies like their dirt to be a little bit wet, but not soaked. Water them once a week, but if it rains a lot, you can skip it. Don’t pour water on the leaves—just the dirt! Wet leaves can make them sick.

4. Food for Your Flower

In the spring (when the flowers are waking up), give them some plant food (like a 10-10-10 fertilizer) or some yummy compost. But don’t give them too much, or they’ll grow lots of leaves and no flowers—boo!

5. Helping Them Stand Up Straight

Peonies have HUGE flowers, and sometimes they get so heavy they flop over (like when you eat too much candy). To help them stay standing, you can put a peony ring or some sticks around them early in the spring.

6. Cleaning Up After the Show

• After they bloom: When the flowers die, snip them off so the plant can save energy for next year.
• In the fall: After the first frost, cut the stems down to 3 inches tall and throw the leaves away (don’t compost them—they might have germs!).

7. Bugs & Yucky Stuff

Peonies don’t get sick much, but sometimes they can get gray mold (ew!). To stop this, make sure air can move around them, and don’t let the leaves stay wet. Oh, and ants LOVE peonies—but they’re actually HELPING! They crawl on the buds to eat sticky stuff and help the flowers open. So don’t worry about them!

8. Moving or Splitting Peonies

Peonies HATE being moved, but if they get too big or stop blooming, you can dig them up in the fall and split them. Make sure each piece has 3-5 eyes (those little pink buds), then plant them again right away.

9. Winter Nap Time

If you live where it gets SUPER cold, put a little mulch (like straw or leaves) over the roots after the ground freezes. But in spring, take it off so the new shoots can pop up!

Bonus Tips!

• Be patient! New peonies might take 2-3 years to bloom—but it’s worth the wait!
• Give them space! Plant them 3-4 feet apart so they don’t fight for food and water.