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When I lived in NYC, we had 5 peony bushes. 1 white and 4 pink. I think they were over 30 years old as my Grandmother planted them. They received full sun, were raised slightly. In the fall, the growth was cut and placed on the plant for winter protection. After the last frost, the covering was removed and bone meal was spread over the plants. [Don't use 10-10-10, you'll get fast growing, weak stems] Don't overwater. Every June, there was dozens of softball size flowers. The white bush was about 36" diam.
Good drainage, bright sun and shallow planting are a must. I always was told peonies are very difficult to move but I did not want to leave some special ones behind when we moved from
Georgia to NC. I dug them up in March and they did very well, even the first spring. My biggest problem with peonies is ant infestation which made the blooms almost impossible tyo cut and enjoy inside.
They're a nightmare to move. The last time I tried was when I was in my 20s, and I couldn't move for three days afterwards. I'm a lot older than that now.
My grandmother had a bunch of peony bushes. They were gorgeous. When she died, my brother moved into her house, and on a weekly basis mowed them down. For years. Poor things would peep their shoots out in the spring, and bam! My brother would mow them.
Finally after several years of this, I decided to "rescue" them. I dug them up and planted them in my yard, gave a couple away to my cousin. They came back like gangbusters, and are still going strong in that yard. My cousin's bloom every year, too.
(I've since moved away, and sadly they won't work in Louisiana as they need a cold dormant season to bloom.)
So, I don't know, was I just lucky when I moved them?
Ive always heard that Ants on the Peony's have something to do with them blooming.If they dont have Ant's in and or around them they wont bloom.
I do have some beautiful Peony's really large bloom's and they always have big friendly Black Ant's.So I dont know.....Maybe transfer some Black Ants?? lol..
Ive always heard that Ants on the Peony's have something to do with them blooming.If they dont have Ant's in and or around them they wont bloom.
I do have some beautiful Peony's really large bloom's and they always have big friendly Black Ant's.So I dont know.....Maybe transfer some Black Ants?? lol..
That myth has been around for forever, and I always liked it because it seemed so logical, but unfortunately it is not true. The ants are attracted to the nectar produced in something called nectaries as the flower opens. You'll usually see that the ants disappear right after the peony has opened. That is because the nectar is no longer being produced. Some people have had a second" myth" as an explanation; that the ants are after the pollen, but if that were the case they would be equally all over all sorts of other flowers in the garden and wouldn't disappear as the flower opens.
Here is a plain English explanation debunking a few popular garden myths including this one. ISU Extension News Release
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