Q: When do I cut down the foliage of my herbaceous peonies and how far? A: Cut down foliage almost to the ground in the autumn. The longer you leave the foliage the better. But it should be cut back shortly after the first hard frost. The leaves are used to produce food that is stored in the tuberous roots over the winter. This stored food supports the plant growth the following spring. By cutting back the foliage prematurely, the plant makes and stores less food. A peony will likely survive an accidental chopping once or twice because they are so tough. However, foliage cut back very early in the season year after year will reduce the flowering performance of your plant. The bottom line is that the leaves have a job to do and the longer they have to do it the healthier the plant. The foliage should be cut down to within about 5 cm (2 inches) of the soil level.

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