Peony frustration

[whattodoforthebest2]

I’m hoping someone can come up with some bright ideas about a peony I planted maybe 3/4 years ago that refuses to flower. It’s in an open, sunny border in clay soil. It’s now 4-5 feet tall and produces loads of bushy leaves and looks very healthy, but not a flower in sight. Every summer I’m full of hope and then disappointment. This is its last chance, so please - any suggestions anyone?

Do you give it any fertiliser, and if so, what?

Mine took about 6 years to flower. I was going to dig it out if it hadn't finally flowered that year. It's done so every summer since, but it did take its time to get there, and I understand that's not uncommon.

The tuber needs to get the sun, so be really near the top of the soil for it to flower. I would dig it up and replant in nearer the surface.

Thank you for the suggestions.

No, I haven't given it fertilizer. It was a newly dug bed and I would have put fish blood and bone it when I planted it, but nothing since.

Yes, I had heard it might take a while to flower. Interesting that yours took 6 years - it obviously takes a lot of patience, so I'll persevere.

OK, I'll have a look and see how deep it is and replant it higher.

Thank you all.

I did all the right things with my peonies in clay soil, but still they didn’t flower. I’ve now dug them up, ready for the local plant swap!

I had one in my front garden when I moved in 30 years ago. It flowers every year. I do nothing with it at all apart from leave all the dead flowers and stems on the plant until the next spring when I cut them off. Fairly shallow, chalk soil, which hasn't been dug for years.

I realise that isn't much help! Sorry.

They can live to be 100 so take a while to get going. We have clay and mine thrive on benign neglect, they were slow to get going but after a few years now just have an occasional water when it's very hot

I lifted mine, flat soil, so the tubers get more sun and they've started flowering

I wouldn’t dig it up - they dislike disturbance so you’ll start the non flowering sulking all over again if you dig it up! If you think it might be too deep, which they dislike, just scrape the soil away, but I doubt it is, it’s just getting itself established. They live forever.

Having said that, I move and split the common red variety all the time, they flower within a year or two, but other fancier varieties definitely take umbrage when they’re transplanted or young, itll get there with patience.

Yesh, good that you don't feed it, as too much nitrogen in the soil means loads of leafy growth and you don't want that!

I guess you could go with a phosphorus/potassium heavier feed given the nitrogen thing. But I've also seen they don't need much feeding.

Definitely worth making sure there's not too much soil over it given the depth thing though. We don't get tonnes of flowers so I'd like to know the answer. Am hoping patience is the key!

Thank you everyone! First thing tomorrow I’ll be out scraping away a few inches of soil and see how it looks. The stems are just beginning to show some green now, so it’s got a reprieve thanks to all your words of wisdom. 🙂

Quick update on the above:

Well - wonders will never cease! It's actually produced a flower! It's been in that spot, untouched, for 3 years and has finally decided to get going. So thank you to everyone who said to be patient. It's paid off. Mind you, it's a bright yellow flower - I wasn't expecting that at all, I was assuming red or pink, but the yellow is gorgeous and there's another bud threatening to spring into life. Happy days 😁

Thats unusual. Is it a tree peony? Ir an intersectional one?

I use a fork early spring or late aur8and sort of jiggle my peonies up a bit

I think it's an intersectional one, although it dies back to the ground completely in Winter. The flowers aren't the dense, bowl of petals that the tree peony has, they're more of a frilly, single layer of petals and all yellow, no central, different colour.

Ok. All my advice could be wrong then. I havent had an intersectional peony so not sure how deep they need to be planted.

They don't like being ' crowded'.

I have peony Sarah Bernhardt in my garden. It took years to flower after I moved it from my previous house. Sadly it’s now past its peak, and desperately needs splitting. One year it gave me 50 peonies! This year, just 10. It’s clearly too overcrowded so I’ll be splitting and preparing for sulking.