Are you looking forward to the lush blooms of your peonies, but the buds just stay closed? Don’t worry – you’re not alone with this problem! When peonies don’t open, it’s often due to small mistakes in care or the wrong location. With a few simple tricks, you are guaranteed to get your flowers to bloom.
Pay attention to the right location
Peonies love the sun! If your peonies are not coming up, first check whether they are getting enough light. A semi-shady spot is often not enough. They need at least six hours of sun a day to develop their full strength. If necessary, you can transplant them in the fall – this will give them the best conditions for the next bloom.
Give them enough nutrients
Peonies that are lazy to flower sometimes suffer from a lack of nutrients. Provide them with a phosphorus-rich fertilizer in spring 🛒. Avoid too much nitrogen – this will make them grow but not flower. Compost or horn shavings also work wonders.
Remove sticky coatings on the buds
An ingenious trick: If the buds feel sticky, a sugar secretion is often blocking them from opening. Carefully wipe the buds with a damp cloth – this helps the flowers to open. Ants can also help to remove this sticky layer – you don’t have to chase them away.
Too little water
Make sure that your plants get enough water. Prolonged dry periods in particular can mean that peonies cannot put enough energy into producing flowers.
Patience pays off
Peonies sometimes take a few years to get properly established. If you have recently planted them, give them some time. The important thing is not to cut them back too early and leave the foliage after flowering – that way they gather strength for the following year.
This helps with cut flowers
Have you brought peonies from the garden or the market and bought very closed stems so that you can enjoy them for a long time? If so, you may find that they are struggling to unfold their flowering splendor. Here are a few tips for peonies in a vase:
- Loosen stickiness: Like the peonies in the garden, the cut flowers also have to contend with adhesions that prevent the flowers from opening. You can now spray the flower heads with water and massage them very gently or hold them upside down under the tap and carefully wash off the secretions. This should remove the sticky sap and open the peonies.
- Remove the leaves: If there are too many leaves on the stem, they will rob the flower of its strength. Therefore, if possible, remove all greenery and place it separately in the vase if you want some leafy greenery between your peonies. The leaves should also not be left hanging in the flower water, as this leads to rotting.
- Wrong time: Sometimes peonies are cut too early. Don’t cut or buy peonies until you can see the color of the petals.
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If peonies don’t open, you can provide targeted help
You don’t have to be annoyed if your peonies don’t open. With sun, fertilizer, care and a little patience, you can make even the most hesitant bud shine. Give it a try – and look forward to a blooming garden paradise!
Source: Blumigo, Focus
