A gardening expert shared their top tips for helping peonies bloom year after year, especially if they’re struggling to flower
A gardening expert shared their top tips for helping peonies bloom year after year, especially if they’re struggling to flower(Image: Getty Images)
Gardeners looking for a marvellous display of blooms that thrive year after year may consider adding peonies to their gardens. Their giant flowers offer a wonderfully fragrant and luxurious display, but they can be difficult to get to bloom.
They tend to flower from April to July. However, peonies can be slow to get going, so it won’t come as a surprise if they’re without flowers.
When they do, they will keep coming back year after year. Gardening expert and TikTok creator Ish recently shared his tips and secrets for successful peony planting, encouraging blooms to grow bigger and better over the years to come.
He said: “If you’ve ever wanted a peony in your garden but you can’t figure out why it’s not flowering, then this video is exactly for you.”
If you’re wondering why peonies aren’t flowering in the first year or so, don’t worry. The gardener described peonies as “bratty” plants, explaining that it can take around two or three years to flower properly, even if it’s an established plant.
Make sure the space or plant pot is double the size of the pot the peony has come in(Image: Getty Images)
He said: “It’s all about making sure it’s established; it’s somewhere where they’ve got a good-drained soil, and it’s also somewhere where it’s not too deep.”
When planting peonies, you want to make sure you leave a little bit of the root ball “ever so slightly” shallow, not even one centimetre deep. This will allow the root to feel the cold air.
The cold will help “stress” the plant, in turn encouraging flowers to bloom the next year. He continued: “Now, peonies are incredibly hardy, they’re clump-forming, and they’re perennials, which means they’ll come back every year and even bigger.”
Ish explained that following the correct plant care steps can make all the difference for anyone struggling to get peonies to flower. If you’ve purchased a new peony, you want to make sure that it’s potted or planted in the ground that’s double the width of the pot it’s already planted in from the shop.
Make sure it’s covered with a rich compost all around the plant to help it thrive. When choosing the correct soil, Gardeners’ World recommended neutral or slightly alkaline soil. Avoid it from becoming waterlogged, too.
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Ish advised gardeners to avoid using fast-releasing feeds for peonies and instead opt for a slow-release feed, such as bloodfish or bone, or a slow-release feed pellet.
This can be added directly to the compost. This will help vital nutrients reach the roots, strengthening them and solidifying the plant’s foundation.
By allowing the plant to establish and build its root base, it will encourage blooms on peonies. Gardeners’ World explained that if you’re planting peonies, March and April are the best times, or October.
The publication explained: “Once established, peonies are easy to look after. In autumn, wait for the foliage of herbaceous and intersectional peonies to die back fully before cutting to the ground. Tree peonies do not need pruning – all you need to do is remove the faded seed heads. Don’t be tempted to pick off the faded foliage, let it fall off naturally instead.”
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