This does look like TMV virus on your Peony. Unfortunately, there is no cure for the disease.

It will not kill the plant, and it would be o.k. to keep them, however it may stunt growth or reduce flowering down the road. There is also a risk it could spread to other plants. Insects that feed on plant sap are the most likely way viruses is spread between plants, other than in sap contaminating gardening tools, so if you keep the infected host around it could spread to other flowers. Do not use pruning tools on that plant without disinfecting them before using them on other plants. 

If you choose to remove them and replant, if root pieces of the old plant are missed in the removal and remain alive long enough that they contact the new replacement, it's possible it could be transferred to that plant, but it may not be that likely; plant viruses don't survive in an infectious state outside of their host plant's sap, so the soil itself shouldn't be infectious. If there is concern of spread, it may be best to remove the infected plants, bag them up, and put it in the trash to reduce the risk to the others.

Sorry for the bad news!

Emily

Thank you for your response

I dug up the peony and remove everything but one root runner that went under my sidewalk

I’m hoping it will die

The butterfly bush that was next to the peony now has some funky leaves.

Are butterfly bushes susceptible?

The root piece under the sidewalk will die out, yes. Plant viruses can often have a wide host plant range (with unrelated species being vulnerable), despite being named for a particular host (like tobacco or tomato), but we do not have a full host plant list for that particular virus, and different viruses sometimes have very similar symptoms. The only way to confirm the presence of a specific virus is with a lab test of plant tissue samples, which can be expensive.

You can share photos of the butterfly bush symptoms, but more information about the situation would be helpful. Has the shrub been in the ground for a while (a year or more), and has any herbicide been used in the general area in the past month or two? Sometimes herbicide damage can cause symptoms similar to viral infection.

Miri

We have had a lot of rain the past few weeks

The bush has been in the ground about 4-5 years

We have had a lot of rain the past few weeks

The bush has been in the ground about 4-5 years

Thank you for the photos. We don't see any symptoms of concern in the pictures, and the minor amount of leaf yellowing (and eventual shedding) is normal as older leaves can shed as new growth continues.

Miri