any peony experts?

[ccarrkitch]

my friend's lawn person mowed down her peonies in the middle of summer- I told her they would grow back - yes? no? ..

[hendi_alex]

I would vote yes, but since they are storing energy for next year's bloom now, that might be a little too much to hope for.

[dinker]

my husband mowed mine off last year it's a very old plant .to my surprise it looked better then before the bloom's opened a few week's later then the one's next door

[Kisal]

I had a yardworker cut mine down once, and it came back very nicely.

[ccarrkitch]

hers is, hopefully not was, apparently very old as well. had belonged to a friend who was mowed down, too - well, not sure how the friend died, but did. and passed the peony on. not too sure of that story ...

[minnesota_girl]

Ok here we go, while I have you peony experts together here, mine never blooms I was told that it might have been planted too deep.Any suggestions and if it is too deep could you tell me how to fix it without harming it?

[Kisal]

They do need to be planted with the "eyes" just below the soil level. I think I would wait another couple of months before digging it up and replanting it, though. When you're ready to do it, carefully dig up the plant and wash the soil away from the top of the roots. You should be able to see the eyes, which look like thick little pink sprouts. These must be no more than 1 inch below the soil when you replant the peony. Otherwise it won't bloom.

[hendi_alex]

When a plant doesn't bloom, it is generally insufficient light. For peonies temperature is often a problem here in S.C., but not for you northern gardeners. Also you might want to enrich the soil with with a low nitrogen, high phosphorous high potassium blend. I once had a clematis that would not bloom. For about three years, blended wood ashes in the soil around the base of the plant, has bloomed like crazy every since. If your plant look lush and green but doesn't bloom, consider my suggestions. If the plant is in denser shade that lightly filtered, consider moving the plant to a sunnier location. If the plant looks sickly, then it could have other issues related to pH, soil compaction, etc. Good luck with the peony.

P.S. - found this via Google

Plants That Fail to Set Flower Buds
If you have a healthy looking peony that sets either very few or no flower buds, it is most likely due to one or more of the following conditions:

A peony is planted at the wrong depth: Peonies are fussy about planting depth. Depth is the distance from the eyes of the root system to the surface of the soil. You can find the eyes by examining the woody crown of the root system when the plant is dormant. The eyes are the large, pinkish-red pointed buds emerging from the top of the woody crown. In our climate, the eye of the peony should be as close as possible to 1 1/2 to 2 inches below the surface of the soil. If they are too deep, flower buds may not form. If they are too shallow, flower buds may be killed by cold. Sometimes plants that started out at the right depth settle or the soil level is raised over time by layers of mulch and the eyes end up too deep.

The peony does not get enough sun: Peonies require lots of sun to bloom well. Sometimes a peony will be planted in full sun and a few years later, surrounding plants have grown and may provide too much shade.

A late freeze: Once the peony starts out of its dormancy in spring, a late freeze can kill any developing flower buds, even if they are still under the surface of the soil.

The plant is too young: Generally, peonies bloom very little, if at all, during the first year or two after they are planted.

The plant is too crowded: Peonies like elbow room. Leave at least a foot all the way around. When they are crowded or have to compete for room for their roots, they may not bloom well.

The plant gets too much nitrogen: Peonies should be fertilized with low-nitrogen formulas. When they are over fertilized or they are planted close to a lawn that gets a high nitrogen fertilizer several times a year, they tend to develop lots of foliage and very few flowers.

The peony was divided recently or moved: If you can avoid it, do not disturb a peony. Peonies bloom best when they haven't been moved or divided recently. When they are disturbed, they may take a year or two to recover.

Plants That Set Buds That Don't Produce Healthy Flowers
When a peony actually starts to form buds that do not fully develop or open, it is usually due to an insect or disease problem. Here are examples of bud problems and how to deal with them:

Botrytis: This is a fungal disease that can ruin a bud as it develops. Botrytis causes a fuzzy gray coating on the flowers and often kills the buds. Botrytis can also affect the rest of the plant. Botrytis thrives in humid conditions and can be avoided/minimized by making sure the peony is planted where it receives lots of sun and has good air circulation. Once the disease is noticed, it is too late to save the buds for that season. Diseased buds should be removed and the whole plant treated later in the season with a fungicide.

Temperatures: When it is either excessively hot or cold, developing peony buds may be killed. This is not a common problem in our area, but it can be minimized by planting mid-season varieties.

Water: Too much water while flower buds are developing may cause them to wilt and die. Try to keep the soil evenly moist and make sure the peony is planted in well-drained soil.

[minnesota_girl]

Thank you so much, you guys are awesome thanks for all of your advice, it was really good advice. Here's my plan, wait until fall then dig it up and find the eyes than plant it in a sunnier location (enrich soil with low nitrogen), than wait until next year and observe, but like you stated in your via google search results, hendi_alex, it may not bloom for a couple years after being moved. I suppose after I move it all I can do is wait. Again, thanks so much.

[cheshirekat]

Great reply alex.

I don't have any peonies but they are a flower I'm half considering as a possibility for next year since O don't have any flowers in my back yard.

I have a neighbor who loves peonies but hasn't had a lot of success growing them. I've preferred roses because of the hips, but I think peonies are beautiful flowers too. It's nice to know what kind of care is required for flowers that are still in my mental list so I can think of good spots to grow them. I think my neighbor has them in a spot that gets a lot of shade.

[Toms92gp]

This came in handy as I will be planting 2 peonies in the next few weeks. As far as the yard workers, that is why I mow my own lawn.

[bali]

I have my peonies in full sun. THey bloom yearly in zone 5.....Love the cold.

[kasimac]

Regular Peonies would most likely grow back. After their blooming they normally get diseased with Powdery Mildew which causes them to dieback anyways. I would cut back the peonies if there is powdery mildew on more then half the plant so it wouldnt exert energy in trying to stop it, making it weaker.

If your peonies are mowed down, it should'nt be too much of a problem unless the peonie variety was the "Tree Peonie" in which you shouldn't cut it back because it will most likely not recover.
If your friends peonies has a woody base, like a small shrub, it is most likely a tree peonie.

[pepper4]

I have 2 peony plants that I have had much success with. There's 1 thing I would suggest though.... Don't plant them right up close to the house because ants seems to love them or at least mine anyways.

[mikes]

I have 3 peonies in nw ct and they do beautiful I have to cut them because of too many flowers (which is great in the house)