Following on from my guide on growing photinia, I’ve got a couple of lollipop photinias in large pots as well as an established Photinia hedge so I’ve had my fair share of problems with the leaves on my photinias turning yellow and falling off. This can often just be a natural stage in their lives and occasionally, they go through a period of just dropping their leaves. I have also found with my photinias grown in pots, and I used…
Following on from my article about why some of my own photinia leaves started to turn yellow and drop off. In this guide, I look more carefully at why you get black spots on the leaves and how you can try to both prevent them in the first place and how to treat them. Any black spots on a photinia are generally bad news and I’ll be honest, somewhat difficult to get rid of. In general, I have found that…
I think peonies are fairly easy to grow and they are fairly resourceful plants but one issue I have had in the past is with peonies not flowering. When I say not flowering, this can mean a lot of things from buds never actually forming, buds not opening or simply the buds drop off before they open. I think the most common problem is that the buds actually never form. Now for me, I quickly learnt that I had planted…
It’s not necessary to divide peonies and they can do just fine if lift to do their own thing. However, I like to divide mine every 3-4 years as I find they make much better plants and don’t become too overcrowded which can also increase the chances of diseases. Ideally, I like to divide them into smaller sections in late summer/autumn/Fall, usually around September. I find this is probably the best time to divide them but you can also do…
I’m a big fan of peonies and love both the herbaceous and intersectional peonies and I have both in my garden. I personally think the stunning large blooms are one of the most beautiful flowers you can have, it’s just a shame the flowers are a little short lived. However, the green foliage still provides an excellent backdrop of colour in herbaceous and shrub borders which is why I always deadhead the flowers as they finish in summer and then…
Following on from my guide on peony pests and diseases and why some of my peonies were wilting. I thought it would be a good idea to do an article on what’s been eating my peonies. This has always been a problem for me, yet my mum’s peonies in her garden go untouched. Not sure what it is about my peonies but this is why I now always cut mine back later in the season to provide some winter peony…
Following on from my guide on what was eating my peony leaves, peony leaves wilting and the buds dying is usually the result of an infestation of pests but it can be caused by fungal disease or lack of water. The latter is easy to resolve with a better watering schedule. Peonies like moist but well drained soil so be sure to water more frequently during dry spells and consider adding a layer of mulch to try ad help maintain…
I nearly always recommend growing peonies in the ground or in large raised beds if you can. However, I have also successfully grown peonies in pots. After all, when I worked as a nurseryman, I grew hundreds of peonies in large deep containers to sell at garden centres. In some cases, you might only have the space to grow them in containers. With this in mind, in this guide, I’m going to give all the secrets and tips for growing…
I have several different peonies in my garden so in this guide, I’m going to tell you what you need to do to make sure your peonies make it through long cold winters. Winter care for peonies starts in the autumn and there’s some work to be done whether your peonies are growing in your garden or in pots on your patio. Personally, I have them growing in borders and large raised beds as shown in the image below. Cut…
Following on from my article on why your peonies might not be flowering, I thought I would talk about peony pests and diseases. Peonies are susceptible to bacterial and fungal diseases and a few garden pests which I start with below. I have covered the ones that I have found that cause the main problems and some ideas on what to do if an infestation of them occurs on your peonies. Pests that attack peonies Ants Ants love peonies and…