If Your Peonies Fall Over Every Year, Gardeners Say This Is How to Fix It ASAP

Peonies are a beloved perennial for their gorgeous blooms, longevity, and hardy nature. But sometimes they fall over during the blooming season, with flowers leaning over and even hitting the ground.

This is a somewhat common issue with peonies. Sometimes it’s weather-related (happening after a heavy rainstorm), but there may also be other possible causes.

We spoke with some gardening experts to explore the reasons why peonies sometimes fall over, and some possible solutions and tips for prevention.

Why Peonies Fall Over

There are a number of reasons why your peonies might occasionally fall over. Sometimes there are external factors, like weather, but the truth is that some varieties of peonies just do this, especially those with taller stems.

“As the blooms are massive on some varieties, when it rains, the stems just aren’t strong enough to support the large blooms that are now covered with droplets of water,” says horticulturist Annette Hird. “This is a common trait of these species and really the only solution is to stake them or provide another type of support just as the blooms are starting to form.”

Gardening expert Laura Janney also recommends that if you see a heavy rain in the forecast, you might want to cut your losses before it’s too late.

“Another way to support the blooms is to gently shake the peony head after rain so they don’t get weighed down,” she says. “If you see a heavy rain in the forecast go ahead and cut them and enjoy. They are hard to recover once they get soggy.”

Peonies are very long-lived, and if planted in a good location, will live for many years. But they need to be planted in well-drained, rich soil, in full sun, and at a proper depth to thrive. Janney says that if peony roots are not planted deep enough, this can lead to the stems falling over.

How to Prevent Peonies From Falling Over

There are a few preventive things you can do to try and get your peonies to stay upright while blooming. Janney says prevention is going to be your best friend.

“You can try using a plant support before they get too big, such as a cage, to give them the extra care they need. Once the flower blooms, you likely won’t even see the cage,” she says.

• Move to a more sunny location: If your peonies lean over while they are still in bud form, they’re probably reaching for sunlight. If this is the case, transplant your peonies to a more sunny location, ideally where they get at least six hours of direct sunlight per day.
• Plant deeper: Peonies should be planted so that the eye buds on the stems are between two and three inches below the soil surface. This depth is important: too deep and they may not flower, too shallow and the stems will lose stability and fall over.
• Plant more compact varieties: Some varieties of peonies with shorter stems and/or smaller flowers are less likely to fall over. These include ‘Bowl of Beauty,’ ‘Paula Fay,’ ‘Athena,’ ‘Gay Paree,’ ‘Buckeye Belle,’ ‘Coral Sunset,’ and ‘Claire de Lune.” Tree peonies (Itoh) are also somewhat less likely to droop as the stems are thicker.
• Fertilize carefully: Don’t fertilize peonies in spring, as this may lead to the foliage and stems getting more energy than the buds, which might cause the stems to grow too tall and get flimsy. The only fertilizing your peonies should need is a light top dressing of aged manure in the fall if they’re planted in a loamy, well-draining soil.

How to Support Peonies

Peonies are so valued for their beauty in the garden that their occasional tendency to fall over is seen as an acceptable flaw. Hird agrees that the only real solution to this problem is to stake them or provide another type of support (like a peony cage) when the blooms start to form.

Some gardeners use wooden or metal stakes as they’re easy to place and provide good support. Janney says a common way to do this is by using bamboo canes, tying strings around them in a circle to support the plant.

Metal peony cages come in a variety of sizes and shapes. You can place the cages over young plants as they emerge in spring, or set them up later: some have clips and hooks so you can enclose the plants easily, and some are made to support a single stem.

Some cages are painted green for camouflage, while some are more elaborate and decorative. In a pinch, you can also use tomato cages; just be sure the base is wide enough to accommodate the peony as the leaves fill in.