Quandry over Tree Peoney

Leave it for now. During the summer the side shoots should grow into taller stems. If you think that the original leader still needs pruning out do it in February time next year before the leaves start sprouting again.

I have a tree peony and prune this each year to keep it in shape and to reduce the height. As Bulbaholic advises do this early, I usually do mine early March and new shoots soon appear. Look down the stem and there will be nodules, prune just above these and the new shoots will sprout.

Sounds like a plan to me - I wasnt going to do anything to it until winter . My worry is that it will die anyway and I will have killed a plant that a) was from my Granny, b) took my dad 3 years to propogate and c) I have never seen flowering.
The responsibility is immense!

Paeonies are pretty tough. How lethal were you planning to be with it? :-)

Whilst in Edinburgh at the weekend we stayed with a friend who has a wonderful garden. In part of the garden is a clump of tree peonies that were getting overcrowded so he cut one down to within about six inches of the ground, all of the stems, during the winter. Next winter he plans to dig it up, don't ask me how, and sell it on.

Ok, I will be fairly ruthless come winter I think, I have been convinced that the peony is quite robust - I found another one last night - Dad had given me two 'seedlings' and I had put one in the back garden - I thought it was dead and gone as it was entirely crushed and broken by a tree branch which fell on it last year (hence my concern over the remaining one) I had dug up the broken stump and chucked it in a pot - not even tucked into compost or anything -- well last night I found it behind the greenhouse and it was sprouting!!!! So its nicely potted up and being nurtured now.