Peony in ground buds get to marshmallow stage but do not open - Ask Extension
Sarah Bernhart peony bloomed beautifully when planted 2022
2023 and 2024 around 20 buds got to soft marshmallow stage and do not open either on the ...
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Peony in ground buds get to marshmallow stage but do not open #870358
Asked May 28, 2024, 8:13 AM EDT
Sarah Bernhart peony bloomed beautifully when planted 2022
2023 and 2024 around 20 buds got to soft marshmallow stage and do not open either on the plant or cut. 7 other peony plants in same bed bloom beautifully
Cuyahoga County Ohio
Expert Response
Hello, and thanks for your question!
There are several reasons why a peony plant may not set buds, or may set buds that never open. These include age of the plant; planting depth; amount of shade falling on the specific plant; a fungal disease called Botrytis blight; cold damage to the buds; other extreme weather, such as drying winds; and sometimes soil and moisture conditions. (Since you have other peonies happily blooming in the same bed, it seems unlikely that you have issues with your soil or moisture level.)
I imagine the Sarah Bernhardt peony was sold to you with buds on it when you planted it in 2022? That might explain how you got blooms the first year of planting, which is highly unusual. Usually it takes a new plant a few years to settle in and get big and strong enough to bloom.
If the buds that are marshmallow-soft turn brown on the outside and then never open, that would be a symptom of Botrytis blight. It seems odd that you would have a fungal disease that only affected one of your peonies, but different varieties have different levels of susceptibility to this fungal disease.
There is a lot of good information about peonies at this link: https://homegarden.cahnr.uconn.edu/factsheets/peonies/. This article includes info on Botrytis blight and how to deal with it. You can also learn more about peonies that don't bloom here: https://yardandgarden.extension.iastate.edu/how-to/reasons-why-peonies-fail-bloom. Finally, you can find a good summary of peony problems at this link: https://www.ndsu.edu/pubweb/chiwonlee/plsc211/student%20papers/articles02/ebrown/peony.htm.
I hope this information is helpful. Please get in touch with us again if you have more questions!
Best,
There are several reasons why a peony plant may not set buds, or may set buds that never open. These include age of the plant; planting depth; amount of shade falling on the specific plant; a fungal disease called Botrytis blight; cold damage to the buds; other extreme weather, such as drying winds; and sometimes soil and moisture conditions. (Since you have other peonies happily blooming in the same bed, it seems unlikely that you have issues with your soil or moisture level.)
I imagine the Sarah Bernhardt peony was sold to you with buds on it when you planted it in 2022? That might explain how you got blooms the first year of planting, which is highly unusual. Usually it takes a new plant a few years to settle in and get big and strong enough to bloom.
If the buds that are marshmallow-soft turn brown on the outside and then never open, that would be a symptom of Botrytis blight. It seems odd that you would have a fungal disease that only affected one of your peonies, but different varieties have different levels of susceptibility to this fungal disease.
There is a lot of good information about peonies at this link: https://homegarden.cahnr.uconn.edu/factsheets/peonies/. This article includes info on Botrytis blight and how to deal with it. You can also learn more about peonies that don't bloom here: https://yardandgarden.extension.iastate.edu/how-to/reasons-why-peonies-fail-bloom. Finally, you can find a good summary of peony problems at this link: https://www.ndsu.edu/pubweb/chiwonlee/plsc211/student%20papers/articles02/ebrown/peony.htm.
I hope this information is helpful. Please get in touch with us again if you have more questions!
Best,
