Fall Peony Care

Fall Peony Cleanup & Planting Guide

As the days shorten and the air turns crisp, it’s time to turn our attention to one of our favourite garden rituals — peony cleanup and planting. Fall is the perfect season to give your peonies the care they need to rest well through winter and come back strong in spring.

I always find this part of the season bittersweet. The frenzy of spring blooms feels like a lifetime ago, yet the memory of those first perfect petals still lingers. Now, it’s about gratitude and care — giving the plants what they need so they’ll return stronger next year.

The frenzy of spring - feels very distant now. Here is Lemon Chiffon, about to erupt in our fields

Why Fall Cleanup Matters

Once frost hits and the lush green foliage begins to fade, your peonies are sending all their energy back down into their roots. Cutting back and cleaning up now helps prevent disease, discourages pests, and sets your plants up for a healthy start next year. Peonies are hardy, long-lived perennials — but they do best when their space is kept tidy and well-drained.

How to Clean Up Your Peonies

1. Wait for the foliage to yellow or die back naturally. This ensures the plant has stored enough energy for next spring’s blooms.

2. Cut stems down as close to the soil as possible. Dispose of the cut foliage — don’t compost it — as peonies can carry fungal spores (like botrytis) that overwinter in plant debris. If you have a small number of plants you can use pruners or a knife -- I use my lawn mower and a leaf blower to clean up my field.

3. Clear away any fallen leaves and weeds. Keeping the crown area clean helps prevent rot and keeps critters from nesting in.

   
   

While you may be tempted to mulch your peonies - I beg you, do not! They don't need mulch and this often invites disease to your plants. The best care for your peony plants is to leave them as clean and bare as possible.

My field after mowing them down. I will still go through and clean up stems that were missed and use a leaf blower to get as much plant material off as I can.

Fall Is the Perfect Time to Plant Peonies

Fall is the best time to plant new peonies. I love this part — the promise of what’s to come. Each bare root feels like a small investment in future beauty. Fall planting gives peony roots time to settle in before winter, setting the stage for beautiful blooms in the coming years.

Planting tips:

• Choose the right spot: Peonies love full sun and well-drained soil.

• Plant at the correct depth: The eyes (buds) should be 2 inches below the soil surface. Planting too deep is one of the most common reasons peonies don’t bloom!

• Give them space: Each plant needs about 1.5-2 feet of space for good air circulation.

• Water well after planting and let nature handle the rest — peonies are patient but resilient.

  
  

A Little Patience, A Lot of Reward

Newly planted peonies often take a year or two to fully settle in, but once established, they’ll reward you with decades of gorgeous, fragrant blooms. Peonies are truly plants for the long haul — the kind you can grow, divide, and even pass down. They might not bloom next spring, and that’s okay. Peonies take their time to build strong roots before showing off. When they finally do, though — it’s magic.

Closing the Season

As I finish the cleanup, there’s always a moment where I stand back and take it all in — the quiet rows, the scent of soil, the low autumn light catching on the last of the seed pods. It’s humbling work, this cycle of growing and resting, blooming and letting go.

The peonies remind me every year: beauty takes time, and rest is part of the process. May this season bring you stillness, satisfaction, and the soft promise of next year’s blooms waiting just beneath the soil.

xo. Lindsay