What to do with peonies in April – 3 ways to vitalise the blooms

Peonies are one of the nation’s favourite blooms for a reason: they’re beautiful, often carrying a gorgeous scent between spring and summer. To get the best out of the flowers, you’ll need to know what to do with peonies in April.

If you’re growing peonies at home, there are actually a bunch of tasks to add to your list of April garden jobs, and they’re all centred around supporting and vitalising the blooms for the months ahead.

Here’s what to do with peonies in April for abundant, healthy blooms. There are several types of peony – herbaceous, tree and intersectional hybrid – but this guide will primarily focus on herbaceous peonies, which are the most common type in British gardens (they’re the ones that die back each winter and return in the spring).

Article continues below

What you’ll need

1. Feed them

One of the best things you can do with peonies in April is feed them!

In fact, knowing how and when to fertilise peonies is one of the best things you can do to encourage a strong flowering period – but according to Borde Hill’s head gardener, Mark Bobin, timing is everything when it comes to feeding herbaceous peonies effectively.

‘The first application should be made in early spring when the shoots are just emerging from the soil, giving the plant the energy boost it needs for new growth,’ Mark says.

He recommends spreading organic granular feed like bone meal (Westland Bone Meal is Amazon’s Choice) around the soil rather than the top of the plant crown (where the stems leave the ground).

Mark adds that the second application comes later in the year, after the foliage has died back in autumn.

2. Support them

Renowned for their big, bouncy blooms, the flowers of many peony varieties will weigh the plants down without the right support. That’s why staking is one of the most important things to do with peonies in April.

‘Some varieties produce flowers as large as dinner plates, which may require support when in bloom,’ says Polhawn Fort’s head gardener, Nicky.

If you’re wondering what the best plant supports are for peonies, you can either use simple bamboo canes and garden twine or opt for peony rings like this Garden Gear Peony and Herbaceous Plant Frame from Thompson & Morgan (which I think look a little bit more ornate beside the fancy blooms!). You can even buy rusted fluted peony plant supports from Crocus.

3. Plant them!

If you’ve yet to add peonies to your garden, it doesn’t matter if you missed the autumn planting window. As long as you pick the right growing spot for peonies, you can plant them in spring, too. I’ve got Paeonia lactiflora ‘Angel Cheeks’ from Crocus on my list.

‘Peonies are best planted in spring (March to April) in a sheltered position with full sun or partial shade,’ says Nicky.

You can even grow peonies in pots if you’re short on ground space. Go for patio peonies that thrive in containers, like Peony ‘London’ from Thompson & Morgan.

Knowing what to do with peonies in April will reward you with better-than-ever blooms from late spring.