Fall Care for Peonies in Moultonborough

Garden Center

Peonies are well-known, magnificent perennials with big blooms and lush leaves. They delight our senses every summer or spring with luxurious heads of ruffled petals. When fall comes around, it’s high time to plant new ones, divide mature plants, and prepare them for next spring with a bit of care—here’s how!  

How to Cut Back Peonies 

Peonies have a majestic but relatively short bloom time, averaging around two to three weeks. Deadhead the flowers after their blooms are spent to save them the energy of producing seeds, but make sure the green leaves remain until the end of the summer—they will feed your plant for the rest of the season. 

Stephens Landscaping Garden Center-Moultonborough-Fall Care for Peonies-cutting back a peony plant for fallOnce the leaves go brown in the fall, you can cut the stems back to the ground. Be careful not to cut so close as to damage the crown of the plant, as this is where new growth will arise next spring. Letting the leaves and stems stay on the plant over winter invites fungi, which can damage your peonies. 

Note: This is only applicable to herbaceous peonies, not tree peonies, which don’t need to be cut back in the fall, and rarely need pruning except to remove dead and diseased branches in the spring. 

Stephens Landscaping Garden Center-Moultonborough-Fall Care for Peonies-planting a peony shrubWhen to Plant Peonies 

Fall is the ideal time for planting new peony tubers; anytime in late September or October is fair game. The tubers should be in the ground for at least six weeks before the ground freezes. It’s possible to plant in the spring, but they generally don’t do as well in the first year as those planted in the previous fall.

Fall is also the best time for dividing and propagating a mature peony. Ideally, wait until the leaves turn brown and are dormant before digging and dividing. 

Stephens Landscaping Garden Center-Moultonborough-Fall Care for Peonies-peonies blooming in gardenHow to Make Your Peonies Comfortable

  • The Best Location: Choose a sunny, well-draining location away from the wind. Remember to choose your location wisely as they don’t like to be transplanted. Peonies do best in rich organic soil but tolerate many soil types. Anticipate a growth of two to four feet in height.
  • The Planting Process: Dig a hole about two feet wide and two feet deep, and mix in some compost or aged manure during planting. You’ll see three to five “eyes” or buds on the crown of the plant—make sure you plant these facing upwards and 2 inches below the soil surface; avoid planting them too deep.
  • Finishing Touches: Mulch your new plantings with evergreen boughs, straw, pine needles, or bark mulch to protect them over their first winter. Mulch should be removed in the spring after the risk of cold weather passes, as peonies don’t like to be smothered by mulch above their crowns. Peonies more than a year old don’t need to be mulched in the fall.   

When to Feed Peonies 

Mixing in compost or aged manure when you plant in the fall will boost their growth the following year. Generally, the best time to give them fertilizer is after they finish blooming in mid-summer! Compost or aged manure are the best foods for peonies, which you can top dress around the crown but not directly on top.

Stephens Landscaping Garden Center-Moultonborough-Fall Care for Peonies-peony support metal cageTips for Summer Care

  • Stake Early: The big flower blossoms we love are usually so heavy that the stems keel over. Staking is necessary, but it’s best not to wait until the flowers fall over. You can create a more stable and discreet support system by setting up your stakes early in the spring. Tomato cages, three-legged peony stakes, or crisscrossing wooden stakes are great options.
  • Plant Different Varieties for Longer Blooms: Peonies only bloom for a short time, but you can enjoy their blooms in your garden for longer by growing more than one variety, each with different bloom times. Flower colors come in pink, purple, red, yellow, and white. Look for early, mid-, and late-season bloomers.  

For more info on peony fall care or to pick out your next new flower, feel free to visit Stephens Landscaping Garden Center in Moultonborough, and don’t forget to follow us on Facebook or Instagram for updates!  

How to Grow Coral Bells

Garden Center

Coral Bells, or Heuchera, are well-loved perennials that bring zest to the shady areas of your garden. They’re recognized by their mounded habit, long stalks of bell-shaped flowers, and amazing array of colored leaves. On top of that, they’re very hardy and easy to grow—here’s how!  

The Backstory of Coral Bells 

With such a colorful and unique appearance, it’s hard to believe coral bells are native to North America, but it’s true! In fact, they were one of the first plants to be brought to Europe from North America in the 1600s. In a guidebook, you’ll likely find them under their alternative name, alumroot. 

Coral bells naturally have colorful leaves, but careful breeding has produced a stunning selection of varieties, including lime green, variegated green, purple, pink, and shades of pink-orange coral. The tiny flowers are usually pink or white and dangle from tall spikes above the mound of leaves.   

Stephens Landscaping Garden Center- Moultonborough- How to grow coral bells-shade planted garden with coral bells plantSunlight for Coral Bells

Coral bells are most at home in part-shade. They will grow in full sun; however, the color of the leaves may fade or get scorched. You can prevent scorching by giving them extra water if they are planted in full sun. It’s best to plant them in part shade, where they’re at their happiest. 

How to Water Coral Bells 

Ideally, coral bells will have consistently moist soil. They thrive with about an inch of water per week. Mature plants can tolerate drought, but due to their shallow roots, they can only withstand so much. During hot, dry stretches, water them every other day to keep them happy. 

Stephens Landscaping Garden Center- Moultonborough- How to grow coral bells-green and brown coral bell foliage

Soil for Coral Bells 

Soil rich in organic matter is ideal for growing coral bells. Good drainage is also essential, as their crowns can easily rot when sitting in a damp, shady area. They prefer the normal range of garden soil pH, which is about 6.0-7.0.    

How to Fertilize Coral Bells

Coral bells are not heavy feeders. They do well with a half-inch of compost in the spring or a light application of a slow-release, organic fertilizer. Avoid heavy fertilizing, as it can inhibit flower growth. 

Seasonal Care

  • Spring Maintenance: For routine maintenance, cut back last year’s leaves around the mound to let the new growth come through. The new leaves will fill in quickly.

  • Summer Deadheading: The colorful leaves are the greatest appeal of coral bells. Nevertheless, the small, airy flowers are beautiful as well. They bloom from late spring to summer and continue for 2-3 weeks, sometimes repeating a second bloom cycle later in the season. To extend the bloom time, you can deadhead the spent flowers. Once the flowering has finished, cut the stalks back to promote the overall leaf growth of the plant. 

Stephens Landscaping Garden Center- Moultonborough- How to grow coral bells-planting a division of coral bells perennial plantHow to Propagate Coral Bells 

You can propagate coral bells by dividing the root clumps in the spring or fall. Sometimes small offsets will grow around the mother plant, which can be carefully divided and propagated to a new area. Remember to plant the new divisions quite shallow when replanting, with the soil covering the roots. 

Troubleshooting Coral Bells 

  • Winter Heaving: The shallow root systems of coral bells sometimes make them vulnerable to lifting out of the ground during the frost-thaw cycles of late winter. If this happens, you can transplant them into a pot until the soil thaws enough to dig them back into the garden. If it’s a recurring problem, protect them over the winter with a layer of mulch around the crown.
  • Common Pests: These hardy perennials are most often pest-free. However, fungal infections like powdery mildew or rust can occur. Potential insects that may attack them include weevils and foliar nematodes. The larvae of these pests can be spotted and removed by hand before they become a problem.  

Stephens Landscaping Garden Center- Moultonborough- How to grow coral bells-shade planted garden with hosta coral bells and fernsWhere to Plant Coral Bells? 

Their colorful foliage makes coral bells ideal for bringing life to the semi-shaded areas of the garden. They can be planted beneath shade trees, along garden borders, or in combination with other perennials, like shade-loving hostas. The varied colors make them great partners to echo blooms of other perennials, or to bring new colors to the garden in general. 

To learn more about how to grow coral bells, feel free to visit our garden center in Moultonborough, New Hampshire, and follow us on Facebook or Instagram!