Peonies are fantastic for your cutting garden. These perennials require relatively little maintenance and produce beautiful flowers that are very popular. You just need a little patience in the first few years after planting until the peonies form beautiful, mature shrubs and you can pick plenty of them.
Read our tips for using peony plants for your cutting garden here. At the bottom of this blog, you will also find a handy list of favorite peony varieties for the cutting garden and the link to our shop with all peony varieties suitable for the cutting garden.
- Plant peonies during their dormant phase, in autumn before the frost or in early spring. Choose a good quality field-grown plant directly from the grower.
- Choose peony varieties that bloom at different times. This will extend the period during which you can pick peonies.
- Plant the peony in a spot where no peony has grown before. Place the plant in full sun, in well-drained soil, and make sure you do not plant the root tubers too deep. Apply a layer of 2.5 to 3.5 cm of soil on top of the plant, certainly no more than 5 centimeters.
- Plant multiple peonies with a spacing of 80 cm - 1 meter. They need plenty of space to grow, and it is important that the leaves can dry well after rain to prevent the disease botrytis.
- In the first year, a peony usually does not bloom yet. After that, you can expect more and more flowers. It is best not to pick the flowers for the first 2 years, but only to cut off the spent flowers and leave the stems.
- Support the flowers with netting or a support ring. In autumn and early spring, provide a slow-release organic fertilizer. When you notice flowering decreasing, after about 9 years, you can divide the plants during the dormant period.
- Harvest the flowers in the 'marshmallow' stage; the bud feels soft when you squeeze it. Our advice is to cut about a third of the flowers from a plant. Cut above two sets of leaves so that the plant can continue to grow well. In a vase, peonies last 7 to 10 days.
These are fantastic peony varieties for the cutting garden:
- Peony Sarah Bernhardt
- Peony Alexander Fleming
- Peony Duchesse de Nemours
- Peony Mother's Choice
- Peony Vanilla Schnapps
- Peony Sunny Girl
And there are many more peonies that are very suitable for the cutting garden. Discover all our peonies especially for the cutting garden here!
Do you have any questions about using peonies in your cutting garden? Feel free to send us a message via chat or email us! We are happy to help you with all your questions.
