• Dormancy:

After flowering, peonies enter a process of dormancy. The process begins when its leaves start to turn yellow or reddish color.

At this time the plant begins to save energy for the next season. It is a very important period where the rhizome will sleep for the winter absorbing nutrients to sprout again the following season.

To prepare the plant for this process, ideally in autumn when its leaves turn yellow or red, the stems should be cut at ground level. Clean any residue of rotten or black stems to avoid fungus. Then, perform a good weeding by carefully chopping the soil around the center where the stems sprouted.

Once you have cleaned the soil well, the autumn fertilization should be applied. Sometimes it is advisable to spud about 3 cms. Each plant to avoid freezing its new shoots that could sprout. After that, let them go dormant during the winter.

You can leave a mark where your rhizomes are planted to avoid stepping on them or mistreating them when pruning the garden!

• The cold hours:

Cold winters, with relatively low soil temperatures for a prolonged period of time, are required to obtain a good crop. Approximately 500 to 900 chilling hours are necessary for good flowering.

It is because of this that the selection of the place to plant should be the coldest place in your garden. If it is an extensive crop, this must be considered to obtain good results.

Once the plant absorbs the cold hours and the soil begins to warm up in spring, new shoots will begin to emerge from the soil.

It is important to verify that in the position and place where they are planted, there are no recurrent early or late frosts that greatly damage the new shoots.

Whether it is low temperatures, morning frost or snow, cold hours are necessary for a good crop result.