Pruning a tree peony
nicedavejc
Posts: 10
in Plants
I have a yellow tree peony that I got locally at a plant sale. After 5 - 8 years it is doing very well but has become a bit of a monster. I would like to prune it. Do I prune back to a suitable outward facing knuckle? It's nearly 10' tall and is shading my clematis and rose now. Will a tree peony stand hard pruning?
Last edited: 22 June 2016 18:57:58
0
Posts
This link may assist:
http://www.kelways.co.uk/page/tree-peony-care/10/#pruning
My tree paeony is only 40cm high so its got a long way to go.
Nicedavejc, yes you can hard prune them, it's best done in late winter just before bud break. I usually do them in around February. I take out the oldest thickest stems first, any crossing or damaged stems then thin them by a third. Do be aware though they respond after flowering by throwing up a multitude of new growth from the base.
agree with Dave, cut some old stems right back to base. If you just shorten them to a bud, after a few prunes you have a shapeless blob
In the sticks near Peterborough
Thanks all, esp for the note about pruning in feb, it's on my calendar!