W HEN I GET OVERWHELMED AS GARDENERS DO ABOUT NOW, I think of the peonies that grew in the narrow space between the flagstone walk and a stucco wall of the home of my youth. No matter that there was hardly room for anything in that spot, or that they’d probably been there 30 years already. Each year, during the week of my birthday, they bloomed like mad. “Onward,” they seemed to say. “Keep at it.” Sometimes, though, peonies don’t bloom well, or the buds just turn black and dry up, I’ve learned since. Want to know the reasons why?
Blooming in herbaceous peonies (and this is true for most plants) is controlled by factors like light, nutrients, the premature removal of foliage, recent transplanting, and also various plant diseases (often triggered by weather conditions). Planting depth can also affect peonies adversely. The details:
Light: Are your peonies getting enough sun, or has a nearby tree or shrub grown and reduced the amount over the years (hence a recent decline in bloom, perhaps)? Nearby trees can pose another challenge: When peonies try to compete with extensive root systems of large woody plants, they can lose…meaning reduced bloom. Peonies ideally want a minimum of six hours of full sun a day (you may be able to skimp a little in the more southern part of their hardiness range, Zone 8).
Nutrients: Overfeeding peonies, which can even happen inadvertently if they are planted beside a lawn that’s being fertilized heavily, can result in bountiful foliage and no blooms. Best to feed them compost or a balanced, all-natural organic fertilizer (never one high in Nitrogen), or some experts like bone meal. If your soil is good, just a sidedressing each year with compost will do nicely.
Foliage: The untimely removal of foliage (too soon, before it can nourish the roots below by “ripening” intact on the plant) will reduce or eliminate peony blooms. Cultivate healthy foliage all season long; cut back to near the ground only after frost.
Planting depth: With peonies there is also the “too deep” thing–they really do know if the growing points, or eyes, are buried more than about 2 inches beneath the soil surface. Though the roots will work to right themselves gradually (true!), too-deep planting can delay bloom until the plant makes its way into a better position (unless you bury it so deep it never can adjust).
Excess soil moisture: Damp, poorly drained spots will be havoc for peonies. Why waste such a wonderful plant that promises many years of reward by sentencing it to this?
Recent upheaval: Was your plant recently acquired, or recently transplanted? Peonies can sulk for a year or more after planting, especially when moved in fall, which is when they make their flower buds. Though that’s an ideal time to move them for many reasons, it can also be a bit of a distraction from their otherwise primary task of bud-production.
Diseases and weather: Cold, wet weather in spring can trouble peony buds, and some or many may be lost to fungal outbreaks. Frost is another costly factor: This year we had a freeze here when my earliest bloomers were already coloring up. Not pretty; farewell to that first crop of blooms from those plants. Other reasons buds will “blast” (fail to fully develop, often blackening first and drying up) can include the stress of dry conditions. Always clean up well around peonies and if there were fungal issues, destroy (do not compost) the affected plant parts.
Finally, a confession: I don’t grow any of the big, blowsy peonies in the garden beds here; I reserve them for a row in the out-of-the-way cutting area, which is where the ones in the photos came from. In my garden beds I prefer the scale and delicacy of species peonies, which also tend to accept a bit more shade. But then I’ve already told you that, haven’t I?
Peony information (and sources):
- Telling peony diseases apart (University of Minnesota fact sheet)
Peonies are great. I grow herbaceous showy one and chinese tree peony – both are surprising at their time.
now chinese one has flowered, I wait for the second one :)
Greetings,
What variety of peonies are those almost paprika colored ones?! So lovely!
And they just take a few years to take off. I have several too, and love them, but it takes some patience. But they are very worth it. Lovely pics. ~Brooke
http://creativecountrymom.blogspot.com
Margaret,
I can’t tell you how many times I have a question or gardening problem, and log-on to find you discussing the very thing!
My favorite peony formed buds, but they have just sat there for about a week, not opening or getting any bigger and now appear to be drying up. We had a couple of almost-not-quite-freezing nights and I think they got zapped. If I cut them off, will they form new buds this year?
Welcome, Ewa, all the way from Poland. I am glad to see you here (now that we have “met” on Twitter).
Someone gave me a yellow tree peony for a recent birthday (a year or two ago) and your comment just prompted me to go out and see if it is making its first bloom: YES! Two giant flowers. I would have missed them if not for you. Thanks. See you soon again.
Welcome, Brooke. Yes, they do need time to settle; so many plants do after uprooting. Thanks for the visit to your blog as well, and I hope to see you soon again.
Welcome also to Confectionate. (Love the name.) I think one is ‘Coral Charm’ and the other, hmmm…., but if you like that range you can look at the ones w/coral in the name from Roy Klehm, for instance, an old friend who so kindly gave these to me as a gift years ago after he bred them. They are my favorites (along with the reds, which got frosted here and are just getting ready to open their next buds…thankfully the weather has now settled).
@Amy: Definitely a case of great minds think alike. I cut off the biggest buds that got zapped but did it carefully to leave behind the secondary ones to develop. The plant won’t make another set of buds until this fall (for next year) but there are usually more (smaller) ones a little farther down the stem from the first biggest one, so have a careful look. Sometimes the leaves hide them. I cut all my first crop on very short stems and used them in low vases so I wouldn’t take the second ones, too…yet.
Margaret,
Love you peony post. Peonies are one of my favorites–maybe, because they were one of my grandmother’s favorites.
Have you ever had the situation where a previously robust plant, suddenly is dwarfed? I have numerous peonies, but this year one plant is only about 6 inches tall. I am thinking it developed some type of a virus and it should be removed. I have never had this happen before. Will check out the links, too. Ideas?
Your pics are stunning!
Best,
Debbykay at Rose Cottage Gardens and Farm
My grandmothers called them “peonie roses”
I would never be without them in my gardens, especially the species ones. All of them are bursting into bloom now, and it’s poetry. Her in the weird.cold regions of upstate NY, we treasure them as the real indicators that winter is over.
Welcome, Marie. Love your grandmother’s name for them, thank you. And yes, winter is perhaps finally over…but barely. See you soon again I hope.
Margaret,
One more tip – Do not plant peonies in the spring unless it is absolutely necessary. I think honest growers and nurseries will tell you that spring is not an optimum time to plant. Unfortunately, consumers will only buy plants that are in bloom, which is not always a good thing.
My peonies were absolutely stunning due to all our spring moisture and now they and everything else in the garden are shredded due to 4+ inches of hail. The peonies will recover but the veggie garden is history– poor Northern Colorado farmers!
I always admired my grandmother’s white peonies. I think they make a great choice for an edge spot where the ants can defend them.
For years I have grown the peonies that I have inherited from my Grandmother’s garden. A bit of her comes back to life , each year as they bloom. I have brought in bouquets of peonies, for them to go POOF, and fall apart on the counter, or where ever I placed an arrangement. BUT, I now know to NOT pick the full opened blooms, but the ones like Margaret showes in the McCoy, of Fiesta Wear vases. I pick, JUST OPENED flowers, or ALMOST open flowers, so they have a bit more time until full blooming. I pick them, and lay them on an outdoor table, where I let them sit for a few minutes, so the spider mites, and THOSE red ants will get off the flowers so I can bring them into the house. The small arrangements that Margaret made with the short stems are GREAT. ALL a person needs is a FROG (weighted bed of nails, available in garden centers, or florist stores) to stab them into , and anchor the big heads and “Away You Go”. I like the foliage of the peony. After they bloom, I just remove the long stem down to , or just below the rest of the top of the plant. The peony to me is like a minor bush, and I leave it’s folage intact, until sometime in October, when it turns a bronze color. Last year, I went on a Garden Conservancy tour, of the garden of Barbara Paul Robinson, in Washington, Ct. She had peonies still blooming on June 23. She was very much into taking only the heads that were needed for bouquets, and leaving lower buds to open at later times. I was surprised how many flowers she had at that time of the month.
Hi Margaret,
I really enjoy this site. Might you be able to please tell me the name of the pink variety shown in th photos? It’s lovely. Thanks in advance.
Margaret.. I remember those Peonies ..they were gorgeous. We have a whole bed of them in vermont and they are almost ready to pop. I just hope this weekends rain doesn’t hurt them.
Welcome, Sarah. You know, I don’t think I have its name written down here anywhere. The one that’s all round/unopened in the top and middle photos and coral-pink in color is ‘Coral Charm,’ I believe, but I have so many of the hotter pink kinds I no longer can tell one from another.
Welcome, Linda. Nice to see you here! Memories of our hometown, huh? I am crossing my finger the rain spares your peonies…sometimes when it threatens I just cut them and bring them indoors in advance. Better to have them in a vase than not at all, I figure. See you soon again.
when is the best time to transplant peonies? My bushes are HUGE, and everyone would like a bit. Thanks
Welcome, Cordelia. Late summer into fall is the typically recommended time for peony-moving. They will start to slow down in August, having done their growing for the season, so I usually time it here late August or in September-ish, when the cooler, moister weather is coming and they will still have plenty of time before the ground freezes to really get settled.
Peonies are the best landscape plants. They are showy, fragrant, vibrant and makes dramatic floral decorations. In my garden, I find that I still have blooming peonies mid July. I love the extended blooming season afforded by making sure that I have a representation or two or three of each blooming period – very early, early, mid, late and very late bloomers.
Welcome, Amelia. I couldn’t agree more — “early, middle, late” is the mantra here, too. Hope to see you again soon.
Hi !
I have Peony envy.. can you tell me the name of the coral colored ones.
I know I’ve probably missed it somewhere.
THanks
T
Welcome, t. Klehm’s is among the peony specialists that has a nice range of coral ones. I’d start there.
we just transplanted some peonies and would like to know how long before they bloom again.we transplanted in oct.
thanks
pat koski
elmira, ny
Welcome, Pat. As long as they were not buried too deeply (which can suppress blooms, as I explain at this link) and are in a spot that suits them, you may see some flowers as soon as next year. Depends also how big the divisions were and how many eyes and so on. The first spring after transplant, some plants (not just peonies) may sulk, then do great the second spring and thereafter. But I normally see at least a little show of flowers from good-sized divisions in Year 1.
Margaret ……My farther loved the Peony, but He could never could grow then. I started growing them in his Memory. I haven’t been able to grow a Red one. I have tried many times but had no success. Can you help me?
Welcome, Mary. Shouldn’t be any different to my knowledge than any other color, but here is the page from Klehm’s nursery that I would refer to to see if you are covering all the how-to instructions.
Margaret – HELP – every year my peonies get powdery mildew – (I usually spray in spring with some natural copper stuff, but this year forgot to). What causes powdery mildew.
I have a ‘secret suspicion’ that all the modern landscapers blowing everything (soil, mold spores, etc) into the air causes this, what do you think?
Welcome, Laura. Make sure what you have is powdery mildew (check this link and search for images online) versus botrytis (another fungal disease of peonies that is sometimes called “gray old” when it first appears). Have a read of those green links and see if it clarifies.
Thanks Margaret. It most definetly is the powdery mildew, I researched it further and am going to try a mixture of baking soda and neem oil mixed in water and spray them. Have to protect those peonies!
I went to this link and they commented on same problem – http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/peony/msg082048122227.html
I’ve tried growing peonies here in the Las Vegas desert a number of times. Most of the time the plants fail completely. On 2 occasions the plants grew and once I had buds but no ants came and the blooms failed. It makes me sad because I love this flower so much. It reminds me of my childhood. My mother had a huge bed with hundreds of peonies. We always took them to lay on family graves on Memorial Day.
Hi, Donna. Definitely one of those plants that likes its wintertime rest to perform (like lilacs, apples, so many flower bulbs…). It’s a sentimental favorites for certain, but doesn’t travel well in the arid zones. :)
The last couple of years post-bloom my peony foliage developed rampant mildew and had to be cut back to the ground. It seems that I’m cutting them down earlier and earlier. Should I replace them or is there a cure? The worst afflicted are very old, elegant singles.
Hey! I would like to transplant my peonies to a more visible sunny place in my NJ yard. Right now they are in between some river birches on my side yard and I just don’t see them enough when they are in bloom. They are a bit shaded by the house next door as well, I tried digging them up last year at this time but the roots of the river birches are intermingled with my peonies. I’m not sure how to free them without using a hatchet! Any suggestions?
Hi, Liv. First start by diagnosing what fungal disease it is specifically, if you can, which this fact sheet may help you with. Some are helped along with more air circulation — meaning better spacing between plants — and some are more serious. All are worse when weather conditions add to the havoc with wet, humid times.
Hi, Cintra. I have a few lily bulbs under a (now very big) magnolia and they will never come out for the same reason, even though they fail to bloom in there. It really depends how much cutting of roots we are talking about. If you want to do it, it will be a job done with hand tools, I suspect, for least damage…meaning pruners and a trowel…and it will take forever, but remember it won’t get better (just worse) the longer it goes. The tree will tolerate SOME root damage, but I prefer not to dig through with a giant shovel or anything, but rather try to dig out pockets and get things out that way (or with a small spade, sometimes called a poaching spade).
Thanks for the info and lovely photos Margaret. I don’t kow what I’d do without your inspiration and advice!
I had a big problem this summer all my peopies failed to bloom, tree peony and (herbaceous?)/regular ones some of which I have had for 10 and bloomed well previously. They are in an east facing bed and leafed out well but then nothing! They did not appear to have fungal prblems although e did have a rainy cool summer, not uncharacteristically on the east coast of canada, zone 5b This broke my heart, so please tell me how to save them next year!!
Thanks
Liz
Margaret,
Enjoyed your peonie photos. The house I moved into has one plant on the side of the house. I planted two more yesterday. Never planted them before. Moved from Texas to North Dakota so I am learning to garden a different way. Quite interesting. Now I am getting ready for the second winter. I was a Master Gardener in Texas so I have to train my mind to think more about zone and winter protection. Enjoy your web site very much.
Thanks very much for the peony fact sheet. It is now too late in the season to diagnose clearly, but I will provide for better air circulation next year and that should be a big step forward. Thanks for all the input.
thanks for the tips – I keep trying to put my peonies where they should not go – under trees- too much shade etc- thanks for the reminder
Peonies are my favorite flowers and your pictures are just beautiful. I transplanted the summer before last and had only a few blooms this spring but the plants look healthy and seem to be thriving. I did mulch them last winter and wonder if I may have prevented them from getting the winter chill they require. What do you think? Do you mulch your peonies? Does the mulch count for the depth issues in terms of not wanted to be too deep in the soil? Love your blog.