The Peony, A Queen Among Perennials for the North
The two most frequent causes of peonies failing to flower is not getting enough sun or being planted too deeply. If yours has not bloomed well this year after having done well in the past, check to see how much soil is covering the eyes or look to see if the surrounding trees have grown to the point where they provide more shade than they did when the plant was younger. Since peonies live so long, this often happens over the years. Tree peonies will tolerate more shade than herbaceous varieties, but not deep shade.
The older anything is, the more legends and superstitions it will have attracted over time. The peony is no exception. It was believed in Europe in the Middle Ages that peonies would moan when pulled out of the ground and the sound would kill anything that heard it. So it was recommended that you tie a hungry dog to the peony to be pulled up and then lure him with meat to lunge and do the deed. It was thought better to lose the dog than your own life.
Another tale held that you had to be careful that a woodpecker did not see you digging up peonies or it would peck out your eyes.
My favorite legend is that the Empress Wu Zetian of the Tang dynasty was so enraged when the peony refused to flower in winter despite her orders to do so that she banished it from the imperial gardens and had all the plants in the capital city destroyed. She is no longer with us, but the peony is.
The modern myth is that ants are necessary for peonies to flower. Not true. There are usually ants around at peony flowering time, but it is because they are attracted to the droplets of sugary nectar that are produced from glands on the buds. Some think that the reason for the secretion is that the ants will guard their supply of the sweet stuff from other insects and in so doing to protect the buds.
Thrips are tiny insects (almost visible to the naked eye if you are young enough!) that may attack the buds and cause them to be disfigured or malformed. Ants, where are you? If this happens to yours, spray with horticultural oil or choose an insecticide labeled for thrips on peonies.
Peonies are old friends that we can count on year after year.
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