I waded through the snow to check on my four year old tree peony. A lutes. The bark is peeling! If it all peels it will kill the plant. Or maybe it is already too late. I left it alone but doesn't look good. Has anyone else have this happen? I am hoping it is a 'usual thing' on older tree peonies.

Does it look somewhat like this?

Kind of but my tree is still somewhat small. More like the slender pieces in the back. And the bark is splitting cleanly away for about 2" up the stem. I don't think that trees or shrubs can live with the bark peeled??

Oberon46 said:Kind of but my tree is still somewhat small. More like the slender pieces in the back. And the bark is splitting cleanly away for about 2" up the stem. I don't think that trees or shrubs can live with the bark peeled??

Then post a picture, but I suspect it's not as serious as you think: the Lagerstroemia I have in my garden (planted by the previous owner) loses all of its bark every single Winter and it's still here.

The photos help, Mary Stella.
I would wait well into your peony season before giving up on those branches. I have had some branches on my older tree peonies that look bad, and then leaf out!! Of course my growing conditions aren't as extreme as yours.

Is that a lutea, right? In that case I wouldn't worry too much about the bark... but I would worry about that pruning job.
Lutea are tricky when it comes to pruning and in their first years are usually better left alone. It's customary to just remove dead and deformed growth while the plant gets established. In most areas this is done in late February/early March but in your area it's better delayed until the first buds start to grow to see what is sound and what needs to be removed. While snow in itself isn't bad (in fact it can help protect the plant from wind chill) it can snap stems.
So here's the question... why did you perform that surgery on that peony?

Mary Stella - Our farm is in zone 4B and I've often seen peeling bark on our tree peonies.

for us that has sometimes meant that particular branch might have winter damage.

However, in general, winter damaged branches have not affected the overall vigor of an otherwise healthy plants. The plant simply sends up more shoots from the root.

I also agree with Lynn that even "hopeless" looking branches sometimes leaf out.

Like the other comments suggest, give it some time. I suspect you'll be fine.

I actually didn't prune it last fall. Only took the dead leave stems off. I looked today and the buds on the end of each branch were rotten. I guess my only hope is that since it was a healthy plant last summer, it might send up stems from the ground. Hate to start over as it has been in this spot for two years. I looked in my database and it is indeed a lutea hybrid. I also have Alice Harding which says it is a lutea hybrid. bloomed nicely last year, it's first year in my garden. It is still under snow for now.

thanks for all the advice. I will just sit tight and hope it again sends up shoots from the roots as it has in the past.

Mary Stella - took this pic today as it might be similar to your situation?

See how the bark is splitting starting a few inches up the stem?

but you can also see the stem is still generating growth in the bottom section.

Hopefully will be the same for you!

Yes, I am hoping. Looks really similar. I emailed Nate Bremer at Solaris Farms and he said that his lutes hybrids took a 100% hit this winter. 100% loss of upper growth. But he said while he wasn't happy about it, they always send up new shoots from the healthy roots. So I guess it is back to square one but not out of the game. Thanks for the picture. I will continue to see if mine shows any greening below the bark split.

The mice got to one of my roses and chewed the bark but not entirely around the stem. Guess they didn't like the thorns. Yay thorns. I can see green on the sides that weren't chewed. It is a new rose put in the garden last year. Rather tender for up here but it's predecessor lasted three years, blooming its head off then suddenly died after the previous winter.

I certainly hope your tree peonies come back from the roots, Mary Stella. Mother Nature has been cruel to us gardeners this Winter!!

Tree peonies will also come back from the roots. I have heard growers say that you can chop all of the branches down to the ground and the following spring still have an amazing show. They are robust plants.