How Do I Stop Tree Peony Dying?

Anne Swithinbank’s masterclass on caring for a tree peony

- Anne Swithinbank

Q Twelve years ago, we bought an expensive tree peony with huge salmon-pink flowers and planted it in humus-rich soil in light shade. Growth was painfully slow, and it produced at most two blooms a year, and sometimes none. This winter, it died. How can we be sure of succeeding with a replacement? Donna Carhill, Prestwich, Manchester

A Tree peonies are native to China and have been grown there for centuries, first as medicinal plants and then for the beauty of the flowers. These shrubby, usually long-lived and hardy plants make most of their annual growth in a spring surge of new leaves, flowering in May and June. Leaves fall in autumn to leave a bare framework. I imagine your peony was a showy Chinese or Japanese cultivar; some can be tricky to grow well.

Do try another one, but consider a slightly easier yellow-flowered P. lutea ‘Ludlowii’ or P. ostii (pictured above). First analyze what a tree peony needs and work out what might have killed the original one. A cold, exposed site, poor light, dryness (especially in spring) or waterlogging could be to blame. Early autumn is the best time for planting.

Although partial shade is often recommended, some direct sun is needed for good flowering. On heavy soils, a slightly raised bed helps with winter drainage. A neutral, humus-rich soil is perfect, but slightly acidic or alkaline soils are tolerated.