The peony is celebrated for its large, fragrant, and heavily petaled blooms. This immense weight, especially when saturated with rain or buffeted by wind, often exceeds the tensile strength of the slender stems, causing them to bend or collapse entirely. Staking is necessary to ensure these blossoms remain upright, preventing them from resting on the soil where they become vulnerable to rot and pest damage. Establishing a support structure early in the season preserves the plant’s aesthetic shape and guarantees a successful display.
Why Peonies Need Support and When to Install It
Peonies require support primarily because their cultivated bloom size far outweighs the natural strength of their stems. Once heavy buds unfurl into large, multi-layered flowers, the leverage created at the top of the stem causes the stalk to fail, particularly in varieties like ‘Sarah Bernhardt’ or ‘Karl Rosenfield’. Heavy rain compounds this problem, as petals absorb water, increasing the bloom’s weight dramatically and causing instant flopping.
The timing for installing support is crucial and must precede the bulk of the plant’s growth. Supports should be put in place in very early spring, ideally when new shoots are only six to twelve inches tall. Attempting to add cages or hoops later risks snapping the brittle, tender stems and foliage. Early intervention allows the peony stems to grow naturally up and through the support structure, effectively concealing the materials and maintaining a graceful, upright form.
Selecting the Best Staking Method
The most effective and widely preferred method is the use of grow-through supports, which are typically metal hoops with a grid on top. These specialized peony cages are the sturdiest option, providing comprehensive support that allows the stems to be separated, resulting in a full, upright, bouquet-like appearance. These supports should be installed before the plant reaches significant height.
A less expensive alternative is the corralling method, which involves placing four to six stakes around the plant’s perimeter and encircling the stems with taut twine. This technique is customizable for larger, mature plants, but offers less individual stem stability than a rigid grid. For plants growing in a straight row, horticultural netting suspended horizontally between stakes can provide a nearly invisible grid for the stems to grow through. The netting must be pulled very tight to be effective and is best used when the peonies are under twelve inches tall.
Step-by-Step Guide to Applying Support
For the most reliable support, begin by selecting a grow-through cage with a diameter slightly larger than the plant’s rootball to avoid disturbing the underground crown. Position the metal hoop centered directly over the emerging peony shoots early in the spring. The ring of the support should sit at a height that will eventually hold the foliage below the flowers, typically about 18 to 24 inches above the soil line.
Once centered, firmly push the legs of the support into the ground until the ring is level and secure. If the soil is dry and compacted, watering the area beforehand can make installation easier. As the season progresses, the peony stems will grow vertically through the grid openings, and the expanding leaves will eventually hide the metal structure entirely. This method ensures the stems are supported from the moment they emerge.
Seasonal Maintenance and Avoiding Common Mistakes
After installation, the growing peony requires minimal maintenance until the end of the season. The support should remain in place throughout the year to serve as a marker and to allow the plant to harden off naturally. A common mistake is staking too late, which forces the gardener to awkwardly gather and tie up floppy stems, leading to a constricted, unnatural appearance. Another error is using supports that are too short, allowing heavy blooms to flop over the top, creating a mushroom shape and negating the support’s purpose.
Gardeners should also avoid tightly binding the stems together, as this restricts airflow and can create a moist environment conducive to fungal diseases. Once the herbaceous peony foliage has been killed by a hard frost in late fall, cut the stems back to the ground. The grow-through support can then be left in place over winter or removed and stored, depending on personal preference, ready for the next spring’s growth.