With ruffled red blossoms atop feathery foliage, the fern-leaf peony is extra-special. I like its early bloom time, so early that often I enjoy the big, bright blossoms while I'm still finishing the cleanup of dead stalks left from last year's garden. I also love the 18-inch-tall mound of ferny leaves that set this peony apart from all others.
Fernleaf peony (Paeonia tenuifolia) is exceptionally easy to grow in any sunny spot that has well-drained soil. One important but easy way to thwart disease is to remove flowers after they fade. When the foliage starts dying back in mid summer, don't panic. Your fernleaf isn't dying, just going dormant.
To fill the gap, I depend on self-seeding annuals such as Texas sage (Salvia coccinea) or globe amaranth (Gomphrena globosa).
Peony lovers can easily stretch the bloom season of their favorite flower to six weeks or more by planting fernleaf peonies along with tree peonies and a mix of early and late-blooming garden peonies. One hot trend: Peonies with simple, single blossoms are gaining on double-flowered hybrids.
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There's no sorrier sight than a blooming peony bush after a rain, with its big blossoms bent to the ground and splattered with mud. A little support goes a long way in preventing this problem. My favorite: A 2-foot-square piece of welded-wire fencing material with 2-by-4-inch openings set over the bush in spring when the shoots are about 8 inches tall. The shoots grow through the openings, but the wire holds the stems upright.
Despite tales to the contrary, ants don't help peony blossoms open. They're just there to eat the sweet honeydew.
What if your peony buds turn black and fail to open? Blame botrytis, a common fungal infection. And if the leaves are covered with purplish-brown spots? Another type of fungus disease is responsible. The best cure is a thorough autumn cleanup. Rake the fallen leaves under tree peonies. Cut the stems of garden peonies to the ground and remove them. In late autumn or early spring, before new shoots appear, spread a fresh layer of mulch around the plants.
After blooms fade, remove all spent blossoms. Also clip off and dispose of any black buds.
If problems with disease persist, the American Peony Society recommends spraying a fungicide in spring as soon as shoots appear and again two weeks later, followed by a third spraying just before buds open.
The time-honored time to dig and divide peonies is in the fall. If you have a big clump of peonies you'd like to share now, though, you can slice through the soil to cut off a section to transplant in spring.
