Tree-like peony - preparation for winter

Tree-like peonies , unlike herbaceous ones, are a shrub structure that can grow in one place for many decades. They do not need a transplant, on the contrary - it is very painful to experience it. The annual growth rustles and perfectly hibernates even in harsh conditions. We must understand that the motherland of the tree-like peony is China, and there are also cold and snowy winters, so it does not frighten him.

How to prepare a tree-like peony for the winter?

Despite all the unpretentiousness and stability of tree-like peonies, they still need proper preparation for wintering, otherwise the entire growth in the last five years can be destroyed by a single spring thaw.

So, what, in fact, is the preparation of a tree-like peony for winter? First of all, it needs to be cut off. Do this with the onset of the first frost. How to trim a tree-like peony for the winter: you need to cut almost the entire aboveground part, to the upper axillary point. Even if you cut less, the sprouts left will die.

Next - you need to feed the bushes. In the autumn, that is, before the rest period, 300 grams of wood ash and 200 grams of bone meal are needed for each plant. Then it is good to seal the soil.

Shelter for a tree in a tree-like peony

As we have already said, the pion shelter for the winter will save them both from winter frosts and from early spring thaws. The latter are terrible because at the first warming the plant can move into growth, and the subsequent frosts will kill the outgrown kidneys.

According to experienced gardeners, it is not difficult to warm a tree-like peony for the winter. First you need to sprinkle the near-trunk circle with peat, and with the onset of frost, you will need only a few branches of spruce, from which you need to build around something like a hut. So that the hut does not crumble, twine the branches with twine.

Alternatively, you can prepare in advance oak leaves and fill them with a frame built around the bush. It must also be covered with damp.

The layer of peat, which you will sprinkle the earth around the bush, should be at least 10 cm. For the northern regions, it can be increased to 15-20 cm. This warm shelter will not only save the plant, but will also give spring nutrients necessary for growth and development . Covered in this way, the peonies will sooner and more abundantly bloom, as peat and humus will become a good stimulator of growth for plants.