Is it ok to cut down my peonies now that they are done blooming?
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Answers:
I would wait until fall, when the growth has died back a bit, that way, the plant will have conserved enough energy for it to bloom the next year.
yes it is .all they are doing now reproducing.
Yes, they really look bad in post-bloom.
For now just dis-bud them. They need to continue to store food in their below ground system. Cut them down when they begin to die back for the winter.
It is not recommended. If you did cut them now, you would still get peonies next year, but they would not be as full. It would be best to leave the green stems, they are still helping the roots to reproduce. The best time to cut them back is in the fall, or at least wait until the stems turn brown. They are like the daffodils and tulips, even after done blooming, you want to leave the stems as long as they are green to help the bulbs grow. You may cut them enough to look neat, just don't cut them all the way to the ground yet.
Good luck!
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