I live in a suburb of Cincinnati, Ohio and have a pink flowing peony bush I planted in 2002. It took around 3 years for the bush to produce flowers and has done so every year after with the exception of this year 2008. Last year there were about 20 or more wonderful flowers. This year the root shot out as normal it's first redish growth of a stem but then stopped growing. It's planted in a sunny spot and I've never divided the roots. It's grown this year only to a hight around 8-10 inches and the leaves are very tiny and un-opened. Overall it looks like it's growth has just stopped. The soil in the area was not mulched last year but it grew as normal. I did notice another tiny sprout of grow about and inch and half tall about two feet from the original root location. However it stopped growth also. I'm curious as to how it got there. What on earth did I do wrong? I love my peonies and waited so long for nice flowers. Now, it's not doing anything. Suggestions would be very helpful. Oh, the soil in my area is mostly clay but has had planting soil mixed in when the peony was originally planted. It was planted from a 1 gallion pot that had already been started when purchased from a local garden store. Thanks, Yvette
Failure to bloom or grow normally may be the result of any of these factors: * planting too deeply *immature plants *excess nitrogen *inadequate sunlight *overcrowding *phosphorus and/or potassium deficiency *insect or disease problems *competition from roots of nearby plants *late freezes *Transplanted in the last year or two.