Why Didn't The Flower Buds Of My Peony Open?

Are your peonies planted only recently?

Are your peonies planted deep into the soil?

Are your peonies receiving at least 4 to 6 hours of sunlight each day?

Did you feed your peonies with high-nitrogen fertilizer?

Was the winter unusually mild?

Did you move or replanted your peonies recently?

Do the buds look sickly?

Peonies are slow-growing perennial flowers. A newly planted peony plant may take a year or two before it starts flowering and 3 to 5 years before it blooms heavily.

Peonies won't bloom if the bulbs are planted too deep. The eyes should be only 1/2 to 1 inch below the surface of the soil. If yours are too deep, lift them in fall and replant them. Firm the bottom of the planting hole to remove air pockets and prevent the bulbs from settling deeper into the soil. It may take two or three years after lifting and replanting the bulbs for the peonies to bloom.

Peonies need four to six hours of sunlight each day to bloom. You may have carefully assessed the amount of sunlight when you planted your peonies, but as surrounding trees and shrubs grow, they may reduce the amount of light in the area. Prune back foliage that blocks out light or transplant the peonies to another area.

A high-nitrogen fertilizers encourage lush foliage at the expense of flowers. Lawn fertilizer is high in nitrogen, so keep it away from peonies. Use only a small amount of fertilizer in early spring.

Peonies need a certain amount of cold weather to set buds and to flower. Your peony may be getting just enough cold weather to produce the buds but not enough open them. If you suspect that this is your problem, make sure to create an environment that might add a little bit more cold. In cold months, do not mulch or protect the area your peony is growing.

Peonies don’t like to be moved. It can take years for a peony to recover from the shock of being moved. If your peony was planted or re-planted in the past four years, it just may be feeling sullen. Their buds will turn into flowers eventually.

Peonies are prone to various diseases, including botrytis blight, the one most likely to specifically harm blooms. It can kill or damage flower buds, leaving small buds black and dead and larger ones browning and unable to open. Cut off dead flower buds as soon as you see them. If the disease hasn't spread too much, spray your plant weekly with a copper fungicide until the disease is under control.

If your peony is unable to bring up enough nutrients from the soil, they may not be able to support the buds. Because peonies do not like to be moved and do not like to be buried too deeply, it can be difficult to incorporate sufficient fertilizer to the area. Try applying liquid fertilizer, like a compost tea or a seaweed emulsion.