Please Help My Peonies
Happy Friday!
I need your help. Look at the 2 peony bushes out back by our shed! They're so heavy and droopy...and they just started blooming like last week. Am I doing something wrong? (Ha! That's funny. I haven't done anything to them since we moved in a few years ago and I discovered them that first summer. Except cut them back for the winter.) Can you put peonies on a trellis? Do we need to trim them or something? I love the color and how big the blossoms are, but they just fall right to the ground (and then get smooshed or eaten or trampled). Any advice or is this how they are supposed to be?
(Mom, if you are reading this...I'm good at weeding when you're standing there showing me what's a weed...and I can plant things when you show me where and what, but other than that I'm not very good at landscaping!! I want to get better and I know I should have paid more attention to you and Dad doing this when we were growing up. And I probably should read all those gardening books you gave me. Ooops!)
Thanks! Hope everyone has a great weekend! I'm headed to NYC to celebrate my sister's 30th birthday with her. Ah, the pregnant older sister rolling into town to try and keep up with the single young 'uns. Should be fun:)
I need your help. Look at the 2 peony bushes out back by our shed! They're so heavy and droopy...and they just started blooming like last week. Am I doing something wrong? (Ha! That's funny. I haven't done anything to them since we moved in a few years ago and I discovered them that first summer. Except cut them back for the winter.) Can you put peonies on a trellis? Do we need to trim them or something? I love the color and how big the blossoms are, but they just fall right to the ground (and then get smooshed or eaten or trampled). Any advice or is this how they are supposed to be?
(Mom, if you are reading this...I'm good at weeding when you're standing there showing me what's a weed...and I can plant things when you show me where and what, but other than that I'm not very good at landscaping!! I want to get better and I know I should have paid more attention to you and Dad doing this when we were growing up. And I probably should read all those gardening books you gave me. Ooops!)
Thanks! Hope everyone has a great weekend! I'm headed to NYC to celebrate my sister's 30th birthday with her. Ah, the pregnant older sister rolling into town to try and keep up with the single young 'uns. Should be fun:)
They make peony cages specifically for this purpose. :) good luck!
ReplyDeleteThey make special rings just for peonies to help hold them up! http://www.silive.com/homegarden/index.ssf/2009/03/nows_the_time_to_start_a_garde.html
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure if there is anything you can do now that they are up. I would try tying them to a trellis or tie the stems to a stake next to the plant.
We put tomato cages around our peonies when they start to grow and it helps a bit. They are such beautiful and fragrant flowers -- love them! Cut the blooms before they totally bloom and they will open up and make your house look and smell wonderful!
ReplyDeleteHave a great weekend!
Janet
Head to your neighborhood hardware store and buy a package of green bamboo plant stakes (not the crazy big ones but the ones just big enough to get the job done) and some green twine. Push the stakes into the ground as far as you can, inserting them toward the back of the plant so they wont be noticeable. Use the twine to pull the flower back up and loosely tie it to the pole. To save time and resources, you can group sections of flowers together. Be sure to loop any knots around the pole, not the flower stems. Finally, cut the poles down so they fall just below the height of the plant (again, so they won't be noticeable).
ReplyDeleteMy peonies are droopy too and I've found if I snip off some of the buds before they bloom the plant's "energy" can go into making the existing blooms stronger. Or you can just put 'em in a cage :)
ReplyDeleteA peony cage?! No way! I had no idea!! (I supposed I could have googled this before asking, but this way is more fun!) Thanks, guys!
ReplyDeleteNewQueenPhilly, your way sounds great too. I like that the stakes aren't noticeable. Cool:)
Hmmmm. Mine look just like this. I feel badly that I wasn't concerned. :)
ReplyDeletePam aka plant killer
Drooping is totally normal - use one of the cages, or you can do a tiny little wire fence to prop them up. I've also seen people use twine just to tie a few together, which also helps.
ReplyDeleteHere's what I use on my peonies:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.gardeners.com/Single-Stem-Flower-Supports/FlowerGardening_FlowerSupports,37-470RS,default,cp.html
I like the single supports because you can move them around as needed. Other than the drooping - your peonies are gorgeous!
Your Peonies are gorgeous! I just love Peonies. They are my most fave flower. Mine are done blooming now sadly. Wish they bloomed longer.
ReplyDeleteCopy and paste this link to view the type of supports I like to use. (you can find them at Lowes, Home Depot, Walmart, etc.) They're worth every penny to keep your plants looking their best.
http://www.gardeners.com/Single-Stem-Flower-Supports/FlowerGardening_FlowerSupports,37-470RS,default,cp.html
They're a gridded ring with stakes. You place them in the ground just as the Peonies are popping through with their new growth. The grids help keep the stems as separate as possible causing the blooms to stand tall. It's too late this year for the supports, but grab some for next year.
P.S. The link looks the same as Alissa's suggestion, but it is a different type of support stake. :o)
ReplyDeletePeonies look great as cut flowers. Even when you cut a bud and bring it indoors, it will eventually open.
ReplyDeleteNext year place the ring supports in the ground around your peonies when they first come up in the spring. Then just encourage the new growth to be inside the ring.
I used bread twist-ties on mine, because I was unable to find anything specifically for the purpose. They grew and bloomed so quick, and now they're gone again. :(
ReplyDeleteI'll do better next year!
I say cut them and bring them inside :)
ReplyDeleteSarah, like you've already heard, use the rings early on next year....just when they start sprouting up, and they will grow within it and be supported. In the meantime, you can use kitchen string (twine)- gather all the limbs and have your hubby encircle with the string and tie up so they stand straighter w/out touching the ground. That way they won't have dirt on them when you cut the blooms for your kitchen!
ReplyDelete- love them! Cut the blooms before they totally bloom and they will open up and make your house look and smell wonderful!
ReplyDeletefull truth about abs