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Re: Peony buds didn't bloom

At 03:12 PM 7/8/97 U, Sheila wrote:
>I have 2 young (2 year old) peonies planted near each other.  They get 6-8
>hours of sun a day.  One gave me 3-4 blooms this June, which is about all I
>expected on an immature plant.  The other grew 5 or 6 buds but only one of
>them actually opened. The foliage of both plants is very healthy looking. We
>had a very hot dry June and I probably didn't water either peony enough. 
>Could that be why the buds dried up? 
>-Sheila
>Ottawa, Canada
>Zone 4/5

Sounds like botrytis, a fungal disease that peonies are prone to. One of
mine had it. (Apparently it's the same fungus that gives that interesting
flavour to Ice Wine and Spaetlese.) The buds form, but they remain small
and then turn brown and dry up. What I did was spray the plant with Benomyl
solution, a systemic fungicide, regularly from the time the first growth
emerged until I saw healthy fat buds with ants on them. The previous fall I
had disposed of the dead foliage carefully and separately, using clippers
dipped in bleach solution between cuts. And I replaced the top three inches
or so of soil. This year, the blooms came back for me. BTW peonies won't
bloom if their crowns are more than 1-2 inches below the soil surface. But
I'm pretty sure that isn't the problem.
Linda
Winnipeg, Canada
Zone 3

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