Photo: Balkhovitin, CC BY-SA 3.0 · source
Perennial · Paeoniaceae
Fern-leaf peony
Paeonia tenuifolia
In other languages: Fijnbladige pioen (Nederlands) · Pivoine à feuilles étroites (Français)
The fern-leaf peony, also called steppe peony, grows wild on grassy slopes and steppes from south-eastern Europe to the Caucasus. It is a compact perennial of 40–50 cm whose leaves are cut so finely that they look like dill or a fern. In April and May it opens single, deep blood-red cups with a ring of yellow stamens. The flowering is short but striking, and the foliage then dies back as early as summer. A well-known double form is ‘Rubra Plena’. The delicate foliage and early flowers have made it a favourite with plant collectors.
Caution: Peonies are poisonous if eaten. Keep children, cats, dogs and grazing animals away from the roots, leaves and seeds. The sap can irritate the skin of sensitive people: wear gloves when dividing.
Light
Full sun
warm and bright
Moisture
Dry to normal
no wet feet
Legal basis
Sand, loam or clay
neutral to chalky
Hardiness
Fully hardy
down to -30 °C
Size
0.5 m
tall, 0.5 m wide
Flowering
April–May
| Pruning months | August–September |
|---|---|
| Height | 0.5 m |
| Native to Belgium | No, planted |
| Poisonous to people and pets | Yes, take care with children and pets |
| Flowering | April–May |
Identify
Fern-leaf peony: how do you recognise it?
- Habit
- Compact, upright perennial 40–50 cm high and wide, which regrows from the rootstock every year.
- Foliage
- Deeply cut into thread-fine segments, dark green, almost like dill or fennel. It dies back during the summer.
- Flower
- Single, cup-shaped flowers of 6–8 cm in April–May, with yellow stamens.
- Colour
- Deep crimson to blood red. The double form ‘Rubra Plena’ has full, red flowers.
- Roots
- Fleshy, tuberous roots and a rootstock with red eyes (buds) just below the surface.
Flowering: April–May · Plants: September–October · Pruning: August–September
In your garden
Why grow it?
- Very fine, fern-like foliage that you will not find on any other peony.
- Early flowering in April–May, with deep red cups ahead of most other peonies.
- Fully hardy (down to about −30 °C) and at home on dry, chalky soil.
- A long-lived plant that grows bigger and flowers better year after year if left alone.
- Lovely in a rock garden, a gravel garden or at the front of a sunny border.
Fern-leaf peony: where does it grow best?
- Full sun: in a shady spot it hardly flowers.
- Well-drained soil: sand, loam or clay will do as long as it does not stay wet. It tolerates chalk well.
- Normal to fairly dry soil; never wet feet in winter.
- Allow 50 cm between plants. Give it a permanent spot and leave it there for years.
- Light
- Sun
- Soil type
- Sand, loam or clay
- Acidity
- Neutral or chalky
- Moisture
- Dry or normal
- Size
- 0.5 m tall, 0.5 m wide
- Hardiness
- Hardy (to -30 °C)
Goes well with
- Blue fescue: Fine, blue-grey leaves beside the fine peony foliage, in the same dry, sunny spot.
- Lavender: The same sunny, free-draining soil; its purple flowers follow the peony.
- Sage: The purple spikes of perennial sage fill the space when the peony foliage disappears.
- Cranesbill: Ground-covering hardy geraniums hide the bare patch in summer.
Maintenance
Fern-leaf peony: when and how to plant it?
Plant in September–October.
- Plant in September–October, while the soil is still warm and the plant is going dormant.
- Dig a hole 40 cm wide and deep; loosen heavy soil with some sand or grit.
- Set the eyes (the red buds) no more than 3–5 cm below the surface. Planted too deep, it will not flower.
- Keep 50 cm from other plants and firm the soil well.
- Water in generously after planting, then only during long dry spells.
- Do not pile thick mulch on the crown; a thin layer of compost beside the plant is enough.
Care
- Water
- Rarely needed once established. Water a little in spring if it is dry; in summer the plant is resting.
- Feeding
- In March, a handful of organic fertiliser or ripe compost around the plant, not on the crown.
- Eyes
- Keep the eyes just below the surface; do not cover them with soil or mulch.
- Deadheading
- Cut off faded flowers for a tidy plant. Leave a few if you want to collect seed.
- Support
- Not needed: the sturdy stems stand upright without support.
- Summer rest
- The foliage dies back in July–August. That is normal: cut it off and mark the spot so you do not dig there.
Tip: Plant the eyes no more than 3–5 cm deep and preferably never move it again: it takes years to recover. Put late-emerging perennials beside it to fill the gap left by its summer rest.
Fern-leaf peony: when to prune it?
Pruning months: August–September.
When: Real pruning is not needed. Cut the dead foliage down to the ground in August–September.
How:
- Wait until the foliage is completely brown and dry: while it is green it still feeds the roots.
- Cut the stems with clean secateurs just above the ground, without damaging the red eyes.
- Put diseased foliage in the household waste, not on the compost heap.
- Cut off faded flowers after flowering.
Caution: Do not damage the red eyes just below the ground: they produce next year’s shoots.
Propagation
- Division
- In September: carefully lift an old clump, cut the rootstock into pieces with at least 3 eyes and a few fleshy roots each, and replant at once. Recovery takes a few years.
- Seed
- Sow fresh seed at the end of summer in a pot left outdoors. It germinates slowly, often only after one or two winters, and it takes several years to the first flowers.
Fern-leaf peony: how does it get through the winter?
Hardy to −30 °C.
- Fully hardy down to about −30 °C: no protection is needed in Belgium.
- Wet soil in winter is more dangerous than frost: make sure the drainage is good.
- A pot is not ideal, because the fleshy roots need depth.
Diseases and pests
- No flowers: Usually planted too deep, in too much shade or just moved. Replant with the eyes nearer the surface and leave it alone for a few years.
- Grey mould (Botrytis): Brown, wilted buds and stems with grey fluff in a wet spring. Cut off the affected parts, clear away the debris and leave air between plants.
- Slugs: They eat the young shoots in March–April. Pick them off in the evening.
- Brown foliage in summer: This is not a disease: the plant is going into summer dormancy. Only act if you see spots or mould.
Through the year
- March: Shoots appear. Feed or add compost beside the plant. Watch for slugs.
- April: Flowering begins.
- May: Flowering. Remove faded flowers.
- June: Seed pods form, the foliage starts to yellow.
- July: Summer rest: the foliage dies back. Mark the spot.
- August: Cut the dead foliage down to the ground.
- September: Plant, move or divide.
- October: Plant: last chance before winter.
- December: Rest. Make sure the soil does not stay wet.
Use
Edible and useful
Not edible. Peonies are mildly poisonous, especially the roots and seeds: eating them causes nausea, vomiting, stomach ache and diarrhoea, in children as well as in dogs, cats and grazing animals. In autumn the seed pods split open to show glossy red and blue-black seeds, which children like to pick up: cut them off or do not let children play with them. The root of the common peony was once used as a remedy, and its seeds as a necklace for teething babies: do not do this. The sap can irritate the skin: wear gloves when dividing and moving plants. If any is swallowed, call a poison centre (in Belgium 070 245 245) or your doctor at once.
You and this species
Did you know?
- The name peony comes from Paeon, the physician of the gods in Greek mythology.
- Paeonia tenuifolia literally means ‘peony with thin leaves’: tenuifolia is Latin for ‘thin-leaved’.
- In the wild it grows on steppes and dry slopes from south-eastern Europe to the Caucasus, hence its nickname steppe peony.