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Peony #870037

Asked May 25, 2024, 9:49 AM EDT

My peony has lots of buds but the never open up (bloom). What can I do to get them to actually bloom?

Carver County Minnesota

Expert Response

Thank you for your question.  I will try and assist you.  However, I need some further information as follows:

1).  How long has this particular peony been in its current site?  Related to this, when did you plant it in its current site?

2).  Has this particular peony bloomed in past years?  Did it bloom in 2023?

3).  How many hours of direct sunlight does it received?

Looking forward to your response.  Many thanks.

An Ask Extension Expert Replied May 26, 2024, 1:46 PM EDT
See my response below.

1). How long has this particular peony been in its current site? Related to this, when did you plant it in its current site? - 4 years

2). Has this particular peony bloomed in past years? Did it bloom in 2023? - Partial blooms, some just rotted. I removed the ones that didn't bloom and threw them away.

3). How many hours of direct sunlight does it received? - Full sun - All day

Side note: these were transplanted from my mother's garden.
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On Sun, May 26, 2024, 12:46 PM Ask Extension <<personal data hidden>> wrote:
The Question Asker Replied May 26, 2024, 3:46 PM EDT

Thanks for your response.

Overall, your peony looks quite healthy. Judging from your response, it seems that after transplanting, the plant has struggled to bloom. I am not completely surprised by this, since a peony can take up to five years post-transplantation before sufficient tuberous roots develop to sustain prolific blooming. I also detect considerable foliage in the plant. With large amounts of foliage, energy can be diverted from blooming. If you are fertilizing this plant, go with a fertilizer that has approximately equal amounts of nitrogen and phosphate such as the standard 10-10-10 garden fertilizer.

See the following for information on these and related points:

https://www.almanac.com/plant/peonies

https://crowwingmastergardeners.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/Paeonia-lactiflora_Peony.pdf

https://www.applewoodnursery.com/2024/05/07/complete-guide-to-peony-care-in-minnesota/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=complete-guide-to-peony-care-in-minnesota

In short, I would simply urge you to be patient a bit longer and keep the plant well-watered.  There have been reports that insufficient watering can hinder the full opening of buds.

Good luck. Thanks for consulting us.

An Ask Extension Expert Replied May 26, 2024, 6:05 PM EDT

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