MY BEAUTIFUL PEONY BUSH THIS SUMMER. Looks like it's dying, huge brown areas on leaves. Indication as to needing to divide? The plant is very old. Like maybe 30 years or more. Cindy
Is it a herbaceous Peony or a tree Peony? 30 years is not that old as for a herbaceous Peony (I assume it is what you have), so there must be a reason for it not doing well. Unfortunately, the info you provide is insufficient for diagnosis. May be too much fertilizer? May be over-watering? From my experience herbaceous Peonies are tough and undemanding, one of the easiest plants to grow. My advice is don't fertilize, don't over-water, and mulch. It is how I treat my Peonies and they, as you can see, are doing well. And, yes, dispose of the sick foliage. If you want many instead of one you could lift your herbaceous Peony, divide and replant in a different spot. But I would wait with doing that until the plant has recovered.
Did not fertilize, never have. Did not overwater, never have. I did mulch, but maybe used some soil with grass attached thinking this would mulch. Probably not a good idea.
