There are plenty of reasons why your peonies aren’t blooming. While peonies make beautiful bushy shrubs, nobody plants them for their leaves, so getting to the bottom of why your peonies aren’t blooming is essential. Often it’s an easy fix that can turn this mass of greenery into a show-stopping display.
The most common reason why your peonies aren’t blooming is down to not knowing how to grow peonies correctly. Get the right position, depth and water schedule, and in most cases you’ll be rewarded with beautiful blooms.
1. The crown was planted too deeply
The most common reason why your peonies aren’t blooming is that they are planted too deeply.
Unlike other bulbs – such as tulips, narcissuses, alliums, and paperwhite daffodils, which need to be planted at least 10cm below the soil – peonies should be planted only a few centimetres below the surface of the soil.
‘The peony buds (or “eyes”) should be just 2 cm (about 1 inch) below the surface of the soil. Too deep and the plant may survive, but it won’t flower,’ Kate Turner, expert horticulturalist at Evergreen Garden Care.
Even if you have planted your peony shallow enough, mulching can also cause problems. ‘Don’t bury your peony with mulch. Peonies like organic matter, but don’t mulch over the crown and bury your peony,’ adds Alec White, Owner of Primrose Hall Peonies and author of A Love Affair with Peonies. ‘Very often a peony may be flowering beautifully the previous season, and if the border has been mulched since and the peony is covered too much, it might not flower the next spring.’
Instead, spread the mulch – such as YouGarden’s Strulch, available on Amazon – as you normally would, but take the time to clear away anything that is directly over the crown.
2. The weather this year
If your peony usually flowers reliably each year, but this year you don’t have any blooms, it could be due to the weather.
‘A healthy peony planted in the right spot should flower reliably, but this year’s weather could easily have tipped the balance on more sensitive plants,’ explains Julian Palphramand, Head of Plants at British Garden Centres. ‘The mild start followed by cooler spells, rain and frosts can disrupt bud development or cause balling, where buds form normally but then turn brown, stay tight and fail to open.’
In this case, all you can do is wait until next year and hope for better weather.
3. Your peony is in the wrong spot
Finding the best place to plant a peony is an essential step to set yourself up for success.
‘Peonies are very particular about their surroundings. They thrive when planted in an area shaded from the early morning sun and protected from night frost. Choosing the right location is crucial for their growth and longevity. They prefer heavier soil that needs to be well-draining to prevent waterlogging,’ says Emma Fell from Hillier Garden Centres.
‘Peonies also need at least 6 hours of direct sunlight a day in order to flower,’ adds Julian. A soil tester kit – like this from Amazon – can help you to find the best spot for your peony.
If you have inadvertently planted your peony in one of the places you should never plant peonies, then you’ll be glad to discover that it’s actually really easy to relocate your peony.
Wait until autumn and carefully dig up the crown and root system. ‘In that autumn, as you dig that up, you’re going to see next year’s growing points,’ explains Martin. This will help you figure out how deeply to replant it. When moved carefully, your peony should bloom the following year – however, younger plants may need longer to recover and reestablish themselves.
4. Your peony is too young
If your peony has never flowered, but the depth and position are perfect, it could be that your peony is too young. It can take several years for a peony to bloom.
‘Herbaceous and intersectional peonies only reliably flower from 5 years old, and tree peonies from 7-8 years old. Some peonies bought in flower may have been pushed to bloom to make them more appealing for sale, which means that an immature plant might take a couple of years to recover. So always buy a mature plant from a reputable seller,’ says Alec White.
5. Your peony needs feeding
Peonies definitely thrive best when treated with a hands-off approach – however, this doesn’t mean they don’t need any care.
‘A well-fed peony will reward you with bigger, more vibrant blooms and stronger stems,’ says Maryam Ghani, brand manager at Haute Florist. ‘Fertilising also supports healthy root development and helps the plant recover from flowering.’
However, less is more. ‘Too much feed can encourage leafy growth rather than blooms,’ says Julian Palphramand.
Not knowing how and when to fertilise peonies can be one of the key reasons why a peony is not flowering properly.
‘We recommend feeding/fertilising them twice a year,’ says Julian Palphramand. ‘Once in early spring as new shoots emerge from the ground, but before flower buds start to show. This supports the current year’s growth. Then once after the flowers fade in early summer, as this helps replenish nutrients and supports the plant for the next year.’
Look for a low-nitrogen feed – too much nitrogen can inhibit flower development. ‘Peonies need high potash (NPK 4-2-6). We recommend using Maxicrop’s Tomato Growth Stimulant and Feed,’ says Angharad James, product manager at Maxicrop.
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