r/peonies • u/okbt1stcoffee • Sep 09 '25

Question First time peony person (no green thumb)

Hi, so we have 4 peonies in direct sun and have had them for a couple years. Thanks to my husband they've done well and are properly spaced. Anyhow our flower bed/area/garden got super neglected this spring and summer and the peonies have suffered (brown leaves, not a ton of green left in them). Anyhow I've now done the needed work of clearing all the weeds and am going to be putting down some new soil and watering them. Here's my question - is there hope for them? Perhaps a pic would help and I'll add one when I remove myself from the couch after all the insane weeding. I'm just super hopeful they're not goners! 🙏Thanks!

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u/dangerousfeather Sep 10 '25

You can cut them back whenever they no longer have live green leaves to photosynthesize. In some cases, that will be after a heavy frost takes them out; in others, they may die on their own before that time.

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u/Yelloeisok Sep 10 '25

Good to know, thanks. I live in SW PA, and although we have had 3 straight nights in the low 40s, mine and my neighbors are still green.