How to care for peonies shrub, what to use if there are pest on the shrub?
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Peonies prefer full sun, but can tolerate some shade in the south. Too much shade will prevent blooms. They need a well drained , fertile, acidic or neutral soil amended with plenty of organic compost. When planting peonies, keep them away from competing tree and shrub roots. Always plant peonies in fall. Plant the roots with pink buds (eyes) exactly 1-2 inches below ground. Peonies will not bloom if planted too low. Peonies require plenty of moisture during early spring growth and not too much fertilizer. Over fertilization results in reduced bloom. Use hoop-type supports to keep stems from flopping.
Ants are not a problem to peonies. Pest control should be specific to the pest. A common fungal disease of peonies is botrytis (gray mold), especially in warm rainy weather. Plant where good air circulation and use copper fungicides if needed. After hard frosts, cut back to ground and burn or discard cut foliage to eliminate overwintering fungal spores.
Peonies require very little care - the flowers attract ants, which actually work to open up the blooms. If you want to have cut flowers for the house, cut them in the early morning before the sugary sap gets warms & starts to attract ants.
I do not cut the greenery down aftwer the flowers are gone - I remve all the dead flowers & then just leave the greenery - I think it looks good in the garden. In the fall, or perhaps not until spring, I remo.ve all the dead stalks
Peonies don't require anything other than watering. They just do what they do. And when the blooms are done you can just mow it down and it comes back bigger and better next year.
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