The garden peony (Paeonia lactiflora) is among the most popular and reliable temperate climate perennials. Most gardeners are more than satisfied with the results they get: their plants bloom in late spring or early summer and produce a profusion of large flowers, often double, frequently delightfully scented. Just the plant they need to decorate their gardens or fill buckets full of cut flowers. And peonies are very long-lived: plants, many still thriving after more than 40 years in the garden, still blooming massively each year, yet require little more care than a bit of hand weeding.
Yet not all gardeners are so successful. Their peonies bloom very little if at all. Let’s take a look at the reasons why:
Problem 1: The Plant Is Too Young
Peonies are very slow-growing. A newly planted peony plant bought in a typical nursery may well take a year before it first flowers and 3 to 5 years before it’s really starting to bloom heavily. Less mature starter plants, like those inexpensive Chinese imports—or divisions you made yourself with only one or two “eyes” (buds)—can take even longer before they first bloom: 2 to 3 years! And it’s no wonder so few gardeners grow peonies from seed. You probably won’t see the first bloom for at least 3 to 5 years and it will then take them 7 to 8 years before they’re really blooming abundantly.
Solution
Be patient! Your plant will bloom … eventually!
Problem 2: Excessively Deep Planting
When you plant a peony, you have to ensure the eyes are buried, but not too deeply (about ¾ to 2 inches/2 to 5 cm). Never any deeper. Otherwise, the foliage will come out in perfect condition, but there will be no flowers … or very few.
Solution
Dig up and replant the peony at the right depth, preferably in early fall (the best time to replant a peony). Or wait. Because a peony planted too deeply will eventually correct itself and grow closer to the surface … but you may have to wait 10 years or more before it blooms.
Problem 3: Mature Peony Transplanted Without Division
Peonies simply don’t like transplantation and mature plants, with dozens of long, thick, carrotlike roots carrots, are even less enthusiastic about the idea than younger ones. You’ll often discover that a mature peony (one planted 7 years ago or more) refuses to flower after it’s transplanted, or at least, only does so after several years. Gardeners often find that when they transplant several mature peonies, at least one will begin to flower as if nothing had happened, but the majority are still stubbornly refusing to flower 4 or 5 years later.
Solution
Divisions of peonies take moving much better than mature plants transplanted with all their roots and buds intact. Dividing a peony rejuvenates it, in the sense of “making it young again.” Properly done, divisions give renewed, vigorous plants that will likely bloom the following spring. Aim for divisions with three to five eyes. If you divide the plant into smaller divisions than that, with only one or two eyes, you’ll end up with a plant that is too young (see Problem 1) and is not yet ready to bloom. So, instead aim for the middle ground: a peony that is neither a stodgy old-timer nor a wet-behind-the-ears baby: essentially, you want a full-of-pep teenage peony!
To find out when and how to divide a garden peony, read Fall is For Dividing Peonies.
Problem 3: Too Much Shade
Garden peonies are sun-loving plants and do best in full sun in all but hottest climates, where partial shade is better. In most gardens, they’ll still bloom in partial shade, but with fewer flowers and may well have weaker flower stalks. In true shade, though, the common garden peony is a total washout.
Solution
Move your peony or reduce the shade, perhaps by eliminating overhanging tree branches. Or plant shade-adapted peonies, such as the woodland peony (Paeonia obovata).
Problem 5: Foliage Removed Too Soon
After flowering, a peony rebuilds its energy supply and starts to prepare for next year’s flowering thanks to the photosynthesis its leaves carry out. They essentially “recharge its batteries.” Without them, the plant will peter away and die. And the peony is no spring ephemeral: it needs a good three months of foliage to store up the energy needed for next year’s bloom. So, its leaves must be left intact until the end of the season, at least until the beginning of September (in the Northern Hemisphere, that is). If you mow down them on purpose or by accident in July or mid-August, the plant’s ability to rebloom will be severely impaired!
Solution
Do not cut back peonies after they bloom. Leave the foliage intact until at least early fall. With many cultivars, the leaves will start to redden in September, a sign that their work is done for that year.
Problem 6: Too Much Fertilizer
It almost never happens that a peony is in soil so poor in minerals that it fails to bloom, but it will fail to bloom if it gets too much fertilizer, especially if the fertilizer is rich in nitrogen (the first of the three figures seen on the fertilizer label). The culprit is usually lawn fertilizer applied too generously right next to the peony.
Solution
Peonies are slow-growing plants, not fertilizer-guzzling weeds. With most fertilizers, apply at no more than half the recommended rate. That’s usually quite sufficient, especially if the first digit is greater than 10, as 20-5-10.
Problem 7: Late Frost
The garden peony is actually quite cold hardy and often pulls through late frosts unscathed, but a really deep, penetrating frost at the wrong time, just as the flower buds are starting to form, can kill them, leading to a year without flowers.
Solution
If you know that a severe frost is expected just as peony flower buds are starting to become visible (their most vulnerable stage), you can cover the plants with an old blanket or some other cloth, using stakes to support its weight as if it were a tent. Usually, however, it’s easier to stoically accept that sometimes Mother Nature plays dirty tricks on gardeners and wait until flowering resumes the following year. It just isn’t something that happens that often.
Problem 8: Unacceptable Growing Conditions
Every plant has its specific needs and peonies like rich, deep, fairly loose soil that is always at least a bit moist and has a pH of about 6 to 7. In addition, it’s a temperate climate plant that prefers a slightly cold to very cold winter, growing best in hardiness zones 2 to 7. In extreme conditions, such as a tropical or subtropical climate, severe aridity, rocky soil, very alkaline or very acid soil, or an abundance of invasive tree roots, etc., it will not be a very happy camper and likely will not bloom.
Solution
If you don’t have the conditions needed to successfully grow peonies, grow something else!
Problem 9: Diseases
Peonies are prone to various diseases, including gray mold or botrytis blight (Botrytis paeoniae), the one most likely to specifically harm blooms. It can kill or damage flower buds, leaving small buds black and dead and larger ones browning and unable to open. It also kills stems and leaves or provokes brown, water-soaked splotches on foliage. Diseases in general and gray mold in particular are especially frequent in cool, wet weather.
Solution
Cut off dead flower buds as soon as you see them. The plant still needs at least some of its leaves, though, so even if they are diseased, it may be better to leave the foliage in place for the summer so that what leaf surface is left can carry out photosynthesis, but do cut and destroy them at the end of the season. Applying fresh mulch annually can be helpful: it helps prevent disease spores that overwintered in the soil from migrating back up from the soil to the leaves. Ensure good aeration and good drainage at all times, even if that means you have to transplant your peony elsewhere. If the situation is repeated each spring, either apply a fungicide every two weeks … or give up on peonies.
There you go! A quick tour of nine reasons peonies fail to bloom. But don’t let the text above scare you off peonies! Yes, there can be problems, but most gardeners have no difficulties at all with their peonies and they come back to bloom massively year after year. You’ll probably find peonies among the easiest perennials you can grow!
One problem you don’t discuss is when peonies have been planted too shallow. Can this be remedied by simply putting a layer of soil over the roots?
The best remedy is to dig up the plant and replant it at the correct depth. Peonies should have their eyes (buds) positioned 1 to 2 inches below the soil surface to ensure proper blooming. Simply adding a layer of soil over the roots is not recommended, as it can lead to poor drainage and insufficient root depth.
Thanks very much. Is there a best time of year to do this? I live in a zone 3 area, first frost in early September.
Pingback: Why Are Your Peonies Not Blooming? Identifying Common Problems - Gardener Craze
Great Job here on BBT. you know what?
I read a lot blog posts and I never heard of a topic like this .I Love this topic you made a about the bloggers bucket list.very ingenious.
I have an approximately 3 year old tree peony that has never bloomed. I found this as a young shrub in my garden where there are 2 mature tree peonies so I’m assuming it’s from a seed of one of them. Do your tips apply equally to them as the Herbaceous and Itoh peonies?
Our peonies [Massachusetts] haven’t bloomed for years. They used to be great. Do I need a fertilizer?
A friend of mine has a peony that was with their house when they bought it many, many years ago. They say it is in good sunlight, does not have mulch around the bottom of it, does not get extra fertilizer, doesn’t have any diseases and looks like an all around healthy plant. Every year it it produces many buds but the buds never open. What could cause this?
Oh no i just cut back my peonies to the ground after they bloom this year and it’s only June. So does this mean there will be no flowers next year or are they did. These are mature plants for a few years now that reliably give so many blooms each year.
They’ll probably be no flowers next year. In the future, always leave green leaves all summer: they’re like a battery-charger!
My peonies have bloomed every year for the last 7 years, however 2 of the 3 this year have no blooms at all. They are big and bushy but not one single bloom. Any ideas?
Wait. If something happens once, it really means nothing. Some sporadic event occurred and you’ll never be able to figure out what it was. If it repeats, look over these reasons again.
We had some hardscape work done in our new (to us) backyard and, unfortunately a gorgeous peony bush was in the direct path of our new entrance. I told the workers to dig it up gingerly and place it in a holding garden in our front yard. They did, and then they put it back close to where it was. They also cut off all the leaves & branches and we sure didn’t divide it.
I guess I’ll cross my fingers and see what happens next Spring! Dang 🙁
If it was planted at the right depth, it should survive. Whether it will bloom again before several years go by is another story!
We have 4 Peony trees, Planted about 7 yrs ago, 2 of them have been flowering now for about 3/4 yrs but the other 2 have never flowered. They are only about 2/4 ft high And their leaves have a red blushed look to them, have we done something wrong with these 2 that has stopped them growing as big as the other 2 and has stopped them from flowering?
My guess is that they’re a different variety, naturally shorter and denser and maybe slower to come into bloom. If they continue to not give good results, consider replacing them.
I have a massive old peony that always blooms well, but it also always has some buds that shrivel and dry up. Why is this?
It isn’t really a problem as it is a strong bloomer, but I do wonder. I’ve divided it a few times over the years and this never daunts it at all. Thank you!
That’s probably just its nature. Many peonies produce backup buds that only open if the main ones fail to do so.
Mine have been beautiful for years this year nothing .not sure y.
Pretty much every perennial will fail at some point and you almost never know why. And almost always, they’re back the next year in perfect shape.
What happens if you transplant a peony in the Spring instead of Fall?
There is a greater danger that you’ll cause the upcoming flowering to abort, that’s all. It will eventually recover and rebloom. Just be especially careful to disturb the roots as little as possible.
Pingback: When To Cut Back Peonies? (And Do They Bloom Back) - Conserve Energy Future
I have an old peony plant. This year I had very few blossoms, what is the reason?
If it happens just once, don’t worry about it. These things happen. If if occurs next year too, reread this article and try to figure out why. Most likely, the conditions have changed and you may have to divide and move the plant.
Hello, great article. I have six Julia Rose itoh peonies, and this is my fourth year with them. They bloomed reasonably well the first couple of years, growing as expected.
Then the year that I thought would “explode” with blooms, ended up being much less… with very strange, spindly flowers. I fed them (low N) last fall, and this year, I only see a few buds on 2 out of the 6 plants. They are well-spaced, get lots of sun and not crowded. Zone 5a.
Would you wait another year (given they are slow)… or maybe dig them up this fall and divide and re-plant? The leaves are healthy, I’m at a loss. Thank you so much…
I’d certainly wait a year. But it is odd that a big, tough peony like that would regress!
Yes, it is so odd… perhaps it’s a test of my patience. Thank you for your quick reply! My fingers shall remain crossed for one more year.
I absolutely adore Peonies and I have several varieties including Itoh. This is my 3rd year with it and I am a bit disappointed as I only see 3 buds so far. I was hoping I would get more but maybe it will still take some time for it to get going. I did plant this past spring a double white one and I am excited to see how that goes as it’s my “Fav”. I do refrigerate some of the flowers prior to blooming in wet paper towels and plastic bags so I can submerge them weeks later and enjoy! That’s my tip for having them a bit longer.
Yes, Itohs are superb… but can be slow to get started. I’ll try to pass on your tip!
Hello
I have a peony which has been planted in my garden fright next to a wall. The peony was here when o moved in 20 years ago. Until last year there were no blooms, last year I had five, now this year only one. I think the roots may be going under the wall?
Please help as they are such lovely plants, jo.
Normally, a wall is set quite deep, otherwise it wouldn’t resist the seasonal movement of soil. I don’t think peony roots would go that deep and even if they did, it ought not to be a problem. Probably the conditions there are just poor ones for peonies. If you move it (or plant a new one) in better sun and soil, you ought to see lots more flowers!
I planted two wal-mart Poeny roots about 7 years ago. Every year two little peony plants pop up but never get very big and never bloom. The first 5 years a huge paper plate hibiscus crowded them out and the shade killed them back. Last spring I transplanted the hibiscus and the peonies came up, but again not very big. This year, mid-May they are about a foot tall, hoping they finally bloom. They do die back every winter. We are in zone 8a. If they don’t bloom in the next year or two, what else can I try?
Try digging them up and replanting. It sounds like they might have been planted too deeply.
My peony quit flowering a few years ago. Is there anyway to get it going again? Its been there 30+ years.
When this happens, it’s usually because the growing conditions have changed. Often, the spot that used to be in full sun is now in the shade, or the drainage is poorer than it used to be. In both cases, the best thing to do is to move the plant: dig it up, divide it (always best when moving peonies) and replant, preferably in the early fall. More info here: https://laidbackgardener.blog/2018/06/19/9-reasons-peonies-dont-bloom/
My peonies bloom beautifully – very large red blooms – but with no repeat flowers. 2 to 3 weeks and it is all over, regardless of removing dead heads. I am almost ready to dig them up and give the space to my roses that bloom continuously from late May to well after the 1st frost. Any advice on prolonging the peony season before I am so drastic?
With the exception of the Itoh peonies, which rebloom immediately after the first flowering, adding maybe two weeks to their blooming season, peonies simply aren’t remontant (capable of reblooming a second time in the same season). They bloom once a year, then it’s over. You can plant early mid-season and late types to extend the bloom somewhat, but you’ll still face an entire summer and fall with no flowers. If you don’t like that, you should indeed consider replacing them.
I recently was advised to use azomite mineral formula from volcanic ash to promote healthy indoor orchids. Could midwest soil, often flooded with heavy rain, be mineral poor? Might this help? It is suggested for all lawns, foliage and vegetables.
Trace minerals are complicated. It’s very hard to tell if any are lacking in a given soil, but yes, it’s quite possible that certain trace minerals could be lacking in just about any soil and if soil, azomite could help. But then, if no minerals were lacking, you’d be wasting your money! If your orchids are doing fine, you might not need this product.
I transplanted a fern leaf peony after we sold my father’s house, and it was 5 years before it began to bloom. This year it had 45 blossoms after being in the same spot for 10 years. In MN, peonies just need patience and full sun and they will finally reward you with flowers. The best thing is that the deer don’t like them!!!
My Japanese Peony is at least 10 yrs old now and has never bloomed. the bush has become huge and I think every year that I see a small bud that becomes another leaf – to my dismay. My Peony seems very happy and is crowding her neighbors quite a bit — but NO flowers ever. I t is planted in a rather shady spot but still gets a lot of sun.
It was probably planted too deeply. After 10 years without blooms, I think the time has come dig it up and divide it, trying it various spots to see what it likes. Do the division in late summer or fall.
Larry!
Thank you for your clear and concise info. I appreciate the Problem ?? Solution format.
There is hope for my peonies yet.
Jan
Hi. I live in a rented house in the UK, the garden was just a basic weedy lawn so my landlord let me do whatever I want with it. I bought some cheap Chinese imported plants from Poundland (equivalent of a Dollar tree, I think), among them a peony. I planted it 4 years ago in a shady spot, learned that they don’t like shade, moved it in a sunny spot two years ago, I don’t think it’s too deep but it still never bloomed. It looks much better than in the shade, many leaves but no flowers. Could it still be in recovery mode from the moving shock? Last year i applied generously some basic fertiliser, maybe this is the problem? I never thought some garden plants don’t like too much fertiliser ?. Or could it be too close to some large gladiolus? The soil is loose, good drainage, sunny spot, near a wall so protected from strong winds, should i wait? Move it again far away from the gladiolus?…
Peonies can take several years to recover from being moved and start blooming again. Ensure the planting depth is correct, with the eyes no more than 2 inches below the soil surface, as planting too deep can hinder blooming. While fertilization is important, too much nitrogen can lead to lush foliage at the expense of flowers, so use a balanced fertilizer or compost. Also, ensure there’s enough space between the peony and nearby large plants like gladiolus to reduce competition. With patience and the right conditions, your peony should eventually bloom beautifully.
Sorry, Jan, I don’t know why my comment was posted as a reply to yours.
What a really great ‘Peony 101’ lesson! Never knew about #3 – now I’m less apprehensive about some transplanting I’m planning in September.