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Barely a bud on the peony...

17 years ago

What's going on? This peony bush has been a very reliable bloomer since we moved in here. I just realized yesterday that it's usually DONE blooming by the end of June give or take. I don't even see buds on it this year!? OK, one or two spots that looks like tiny tiny tiny buds yet... but that's it!

Also my lupines are disappointing for the most part too. One did have buds nicely growing but they all got eatten off. The stem part was left but no more buds.

Ang

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Comments (3)

Pudge 2b
17 years ago
Did the base of the peony get covered with too much soil/mulch last year? Or has the area become too shady from a growing tree or shrub? Those are the only reasons I can think of why an otherwise healthy peony won't bloom.
sierra_z2b
17 years ago
Ang, I have found that this happens occassionally with peonies. I have a gorgeous Festiva Maxima from Parkland Perennials.....its been in the garden for several years...it started out big and just got bigger. Then last year all of a sudden, it wasn't doing well. Only a few stems appeared in the spring......and I think it had one or two flowers. I was moving things around and dividing everything last year....and decided to dig up this peony and move it to the front bed. What I discovered was that half of the huge tuber/root had rotted. I pulled it out and removed the rot and re-planted in the front new bed. This year it has 8 buds and what looks like some new shoots, about 4 inches tall, comming from the ground.

So far it looks like its going to be a good peony year here......All but one seem to have buds. The one that doesn't is still very young. Oh and of course the baby ones that I started from seed, don't have buds.

My lupines have been in the decline stage for the last couple of years. I started some from seed this year to replace. The only one I have blooming is a rose lupine right now. Sorry to hear about your bugs/critter.....I know how disappointing that is.

Sierra
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They need lots of sun and don't plant too deep. When I plant, I put a handfull of bone meal in the bottom of the planting hole and a shovel full of composted manure. What kind of fertilizer are you using? It's possible that it's promoting new foliage growth at the expense of the flowers. The link below is for a website for a company that grows the most beautiful peonies I've ever seen. Check out the peony care portion of their website. I've visited their farm in the spring. They have fabulous display gardens. Here is a link that might be useful: Pacific Peonies
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Thank you! This seems like the safest option now. Thank you for explaining so thoroughly, I appreciate it. Yes, it is breaking dormancy. I saw leaves when it arrived a week and half ago, and they are longer now. I’ve kept it in the cool garage, but let it have some indirect light from the open garage door in the daytime. Maybe that was the wrong thing to do…? I have a holding bed that might be the best place for it. It was my vegetable garden, before the trees grew up and made it too shady for vegetables. There’s nothing in there now but a rhubarb. Any full sun it gets is brief, and I have a wooden side table I can put over it. Its much nicer amended soft soil there than any other place I could put it. Assuming it does ok there and survives, when is the best time to make the switch? Next spring? I had someone move a 4 year peony for me last spring that was in the wrong place after construction. It was just barely showing above ground. (I’d just had surgery and hired a gardener for spring clean-up). The peony didn’t miss a beat. This year it will bloom for the first time, it was in too much shade before. She made it look easy, so I don’t remember details, like how wide around the peony she dug. I really appreciate your help!
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It will be difficult at best to get a bare root peony to grow in Zone 9 with spring planting. The time to plant bare root peonies is the fall in all zones. Cut off the mold and dip the root in a 1 to 10 bleach to water solution. Let dry and replant now, in the fall. Good luck.
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No rats on my balcony ὠ2...a rare squirrel maybe once in a half dozen years, just a few finches, pigeons, bees, wasps and lady bugs....Anyhow, so you don't think not enough sunlight might be to blame? Can one tell if it is getting enough sunlightby looking at the color of the foliage, spacing of leaves etc. As to fertilizer, I have been diligent in giving it fertilizer this year once it sprouted. The foliage is around only for about 6 months or so and is growing only for a month or two so it is hard to figure out fertilization and not overfertilize. As to it being in a pot, don't the garden centers have peonies blooming away in one and two gallon pots. Mine is in a five gallon and the roots do not seem to suggest it needs a bigger pot last I checked.
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CrazyDaisy_68
Original Author
17 years ago
No changes in and around the peony, same amount of sun/shade as other years.

I may well have to see about digging it up and dividing. I have no idea how long its been here either. The house is from 1964 so who knows when it was put in. Speaking of rooted tubers, I did have some lupines earlier this year that had that. I'll have to dig around and investigate!

Ang

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