Peonies thrive on benign neglect. ... Deadhead peony blossoms as soon as they begin to fade, cutting to a strong leaf so that the stem doesn't stick out of the foliage. Cut the foliage to the ground in the fall to avoid any overwintering diseases. Don't smother peonies with mulch.

Do peonies rebloom after deadheading?

Herbaceous peonies have new growth coming from the crown of roots each season. They will not grow back a second round of blooms once they have been cut. ... The other type of pruning or “deadheading” involves cutting off flowers after they bloom, which also won't stimulate regrowth of a second round of blooms.

What happens if you don't deadhead peonies?

Deadheading peonies is the process of removing spent blooms. When you remove faded flowers, you stop plants from producing seed pods, which allows plants to direct all energy toward food storage in tubers. ... Faded peony flowers also tend to develop fungal diseases, like botrytis, as petals rot.