If you installed a peony ring (peony support) on your herbaceous peony (Paeonia lactiflora and others) last fall to help it remain upright, you’re probably about to remove it for the winter with the idea of storing it in a tool shed or garage. After all, the vast majority of gardeners do. Then they set it again out in the spring. But why?
Since your peony will grow back in exactly the same spot, not only next year but for many decades to come, it seems only logical to me that it would more convenient to let the ring remain there permanently, summer and winter. After all, what does it give you to remove a stake in the fall only to put it back the next spring, if not more work? To make a comparison, most gardeners leave their plant trellises in place. Why are peony rings so different?
Be a truly laidback gardener and add “removing peony rings” to the “things I don’t do any more in the garden” category.
It’s much easier to whack the peonies to the ground in autumn without the obstruction of the ring. I guess it depends on one’s site and circumstances. Love your books, Larry!