Why won't my Peonies bloom??

I have 3 Peony plants that were here when we moved into the house. The flower beds were in a severe state of neglect, I don't think they had been tended for a good 2-3 years before we bought the house! So I was quite prepared for things to take a year or two to get back on their feet and start producing blooms but this is the 3rd spring we've been in the house and the Peonies have only produced one single bloom on one of the plants. Is there something I can do to encourage them to bloom?

Thanks for your help!

 

Maybe a good covering of mulch to improve the soil, or even better, well-composted horse manure?

 

Do you have ants? My peonies never bloomed when I knocked the ants off the buds, and didn't even set buds the next year after I did that - there seems to be some sort of relationship there.

 

How deeply are they planted? Peonies will not bloom if the crown is below the surface.

 

Yes: Planting or covering too deeply is supposed to interfere with flowering. Otherwise it could be infertility of the soil - they may need to be fertilized. As with large-flowered bulbs a certain minimum level of fertility needs to be maintained for them to come back with full strength year after year.

 

Peonies like full sun. I have several I must move; they have never bloomed or have stopped blooming. Peonies refuse to bloom if too deeply planted or covered with mulch. Peonies survive on derelect properties; they are tough. I've heard that they like a top dressing of wood ash in late winter.

 

Yes, peonies won't bloom if they are planted too deeply - or covered with mulch, same thing. Ants are simply collecting the secretions from the peony buds - it's an old wive's tale that there is any sort of a symbiotic relationship between ants and peonies.

 

We have oodles of ants and I do remember seeing them on my moms Peonies all the time. I have no idea really how deep they're planted as they were already here when I moved in. It sounds like I should dig them this fall and see and also give them a good fertilizing. They are in an area that gets sun off and on all day (there are a few tall trees that shade the bed for a few hours out of the day). I can't imagine that it's not enough but maybe they need to be relocated while I have them out of the ground.

Thanks everyone!

 

An indication that they are too deep or not vigorous enough to bloom is the production of under-sized shoots. If it was something like shading only it would seem the shoots would have normal height and thickness, but without buds.

 

Sounds like enough sunlight to me. If you don't want to move them--and if I remember right they do not like to be moved--just gently scratch the soil at the base of the stems. You should be able to see the crown where the stems are emerging at the surface of the soil. It should be at the surface, just lightly covered by soil. If it is just a little below the surface, you can probably pull away the extra soil. I have been uncovering peonies at a garden I am tending the past few years. The first one I uncovered this way had no blooms three years ago and has about a dozen buds this year. They are long lived plants. After some years it is easy for them to become covered by mulch and leaf drop or whatever in an untended garden--even a tended one really. Often though they are simply planted too deep from the beginning.

 

Ron, the plants themselves are beautiful, very large and full, just no buds :(

Eric, I'll try scratching around to see if there is a crown. I seem to recall, while digging weeds and such last spring, not seeing anything by way of a crown when I was working around the Peonies. The folks that lived here did try but from the various things I have come across, they weren't proficient gardeners. I'm going to try uncovering the crown and see if that works for blooms. If not, I guess I'll try to find a sunnier spot. I tried clocking their exposure today but the clouds moved in!

 

Hi everyone
I have the same problem. My plants are settled in a full sun spot, barely covered and in deep black rich humus and still doesn´t bloom.
They told me that plants are too young, since I have bought them as rhizomes. Some of them are 5 years old.
So, I have followed all the rules plants aren´t young and still...

 

Maybe your winters are too mild. I've heard that peonies need cold winters...

 

peony should be planted no more than two inches below the top of the soil. in an extremely sunny spot.

they don't need mulching...in fact, that is mostly a no-no except for as protection from the cold during the harshest part of the winter - come spring, remove that mulch so the sun warms the rhizome. they DO need some bit of cold treatment for them to bloom...so, if you have a mild winter with barely any freezing, you may not see blooms.

they don't like being disturbed, so, if you've moved them (or just bought them and planted) they can take a few years (5 and 6 is not unusual) for them to bloom.

also, don't cut them back until fall...the greenery feeds the rhizome for good blooms the following year.

 

Plenty of cold here...we had 12' of snow this winter! I have no idea when they were planted, we've had the house for 3 years now so maybe they're just babies. I leave the foliage until spring and cut it back just as the new growth is appearing. I haven't checked to see how deeply they're planted yet, haven't had the opportunity, can't move/raise them for a while yet anyway.

 

Very helpful posts

I too can't grow Peony. They say new plants only flower after three years and if you disturb you must wait another three years?

 

We have a lot of cold here, not snow but temperatures can fall to -3 º C. My peonies aren´t disturbed since they were planted 4 years ago. I can assure you I follow all the steps but still haven´t had any flower.
The only issue could be the height of the plant. In late spring they reach 40-50 cm. Are this too short?
Regards

 

I can tell you some plants are not for some people.

I had an Hebe which never flowered and it was in my late father's garden so when he died a dug up the plant and re-planted in my garden. I also dug up a Forest Flame which is in my front garden and flowers and reds up great...but that Hebe just did'nt want to know.

I kept the plant for several years and then because I love plants that flower and this Hebe did not flower I gave it away to next door...

...It flowered within weeks beautiful white flower spears.

So maybe re-site Peony or give them away because its maybe you and I will never see a Peony in our garden.

I bought new this spring from Marks n Spensors but no flowers so I give it two years now to shape up or else..bin..

 

Regarding mulch: It's the CROWN of the plant that should not be covered, but an outer ring of compost or other organic matter can't go amiss.

 

i waited 4 years for blooms after transplanting a half dozen peony rhizomes - and then, only one of them had flowers...so, still waiting on the rest.

double check on soil level and remove some if it's too high. and then wait another year or two.

i've heard it can be 5 and even 7 years before they'll bloom after they've been moved (whether it's moving from another spot in the garden or out of a container and into the ground or if they're new bareroot pieces).

so, a little patience is needed.

iris take years before they bloom too...

 

Here is my new Peony


lol And the 'peony in bud' is one I gave my sister some five years ago. Obviosly gave her the wrong one because it was one of three, mine was a bad one.

 

Katalina
What you wrote about people´s hands and plants caused me felt bad. I´m affraid I´m one of them that have no hand for peonies. But I wont´give up.
I was watching the pictures you posted and I wonder when does the plants receive sun, how much and what size are they? Mines are not as tall as yours.

 

peony need full sunlight for just about the whole day. if you have them in a spot where they don't get enough sun, katalina, you're not going to see blooms for a long time, if ever.

 

I have 3 peony plants. One came with the house a beautiful dark fuschia it did not bloom the first summer (2003) that I was here. My neighbour told me the house was rented b4 I bought & the previous tenants actually ripped all the plants out after they had flowered! They must have missed a piece of the tuber (lucky for me :))).

The other 2 were given to me in mid November 2003 I was digging holes during the first snowfall trying to get them into the ground!! One of the two, a beautiful 'Sarah Bernhart' developed buds in 2004 but in 2005 it bloomed, and has done so profusely ever since.

The 2nd, due to the snow it got dumped in a raised bed but I mulched around it and covered with burlap. I was worried about it being in the raised bed since our winters are legendary for cold, but of course removed the mulch as soon as I could get in the yard. It took a little longer but had buds in 2006, and one flower that bloomed last year. This year it also bloomed, about 5 or 6 decent white flowers.

I don't have a lot of sun in my east-facing back yard. There are very large trees behind that hang over and a fence that block the east sun, a shed and my house which block the southern and western sun so the peonies do lean a little but still they are thriving. I have thought about moving them but I know they don't like to be disturbed. I had a problem with slugs on the white one in the raised bed (yes it's still there), and I have decided that if I can save it I will have to move it to a better spot.

Here are some pics. I didn't get any pics this year while they were in bloom the ones shown are from 2005 but the Sarah B. blooms were about 6-8 inches across.

 

Beautiful!