[MrsMak]

We've got a peony we put in about 5 years ago.  In that time it has occasionally produced one flower; once it had two; last year there were none!  This year again there is one bud on it. The plant itself appears happy and healthy.  Any ideas how we can encourage more flowers, please?

[WG.]

Is the site very fertile?  If the foliage is too lush this would indicate the same thing.   Perhaps you are over-fertilising?

[richyrich7]

 Perhaps you are over-fertilising?

I more or less ignore mine and they flower profusely.

[ziggywigs]

Absolutely adore these plants and have loads in my garden.

What sort of position have you planted it in?  They need four to six hours of direct sun to flower.

Do the blooms start to appear and fail to open or do they not form at all?

Most common problems for not flowering is that they are planted too deeply. They really need to be planted quite shallow.  When planting, position peony buds 1 to 2 inches below the surface of the soil. When a peony is planted too deeply, it may have foliage, but few (if any) flowers.

Don't remove the foliage before July or August as it needs this to build up the plant for the following season otherwise you will get fewer flowers.

[MrsMak]

Thanks! Some good lines to chase up here.  I can't answer all the questions, as my OH is responsible for the flower garden, but it could possibly be the shade or the depth of planting.  I doubt if it's the fertility though - he doesn't do much feeding apart from tomatoes (he's also responsible for the greenhouse.)
Just spoken to him and he thinks it could be lack of sunlight too.  It's on the sunnier side of the garden, but not too far from a hedge which shades it.  Garden is North facing, so a lot of it is in shade most of the day in Winter and early Spring. We don't get buds that fail to open, just very few buds.  When we do get a bud, it develops OK.  Would this plant be OK to move (after it flowers, presumably)?  Or is it too old now?

[ziggywigs]

There's your problem no sun and  the hedge which is competition for light and other resources, they don't like to be  planted too near trees, shrubs, or crowded by other plants.  

The best time to move and divide peonies is September.

To move a peony, cut the peony stems near ground level and carefully dig around and under each plant. Try to retain as much of the root system as possible. Promptly plant the peony in a sunny, well-drained site making sure you dig and prepare a hole large enough to take the root ball...make sure you plant to the correct depth.

It may take a while to settle down and will not bloom well the following spring but should be back to normal by the third or fourth year.....it's worth the wait.

[Trillium]

My silly peonies don't know they're supposed to wait a few years to flower after moving them. They are so tough and determined to live that I almost always get flowers the next year, so it might not be that long a wait if the plant gets more sun.

[MrsMak]

Thanks everyone, and especially Ziggy for the clear instructions.  OH is most impressed!
I promise we will look after it more carefully in future!

[GrannieAnnie]

The new next door neighbours don't like gardening, and they have 3 enormous peony plants in the font border, and he's going to chuck them out!!!!  Unfortunately, I have nowhere for them yet, my one border is full, and until OH finishes the patio, I can't put anything else in anywhere!!!!

Well, I might try, then I can always dig it up again next year!!!

[jackiestagg]

I've got paeonies (spelling???), they were there when I moved here, my neighbour says they are 20 years old. They are in a shallow border and in the shade of a fence and a shrub honeysuckle and they flower every year. I think your peaonies ( oh, I give up) may have been planted too deep in the first place, they do say they will never flower if you do. If they are healthy and have lots of leaves I would say that is the problem. I have no idea whether you can dig them up after 5 years and cure it, though.

[ziggywigs]

It's ok to dig the peonies up after 5 years - usually they go 20 years or more before you need to divide and then only if they are suffering from poor flowering or you just want to increase the stock.

You would dig these up as for moving them in the Autumn and shake off any loose soil and then wash the rest off with water.  Divide the clump with a knife or spade (i prefer a knife)  so that there are three to five buds (eyes) per new clump and don't plant any deeper than two inches....i usually have the eyes just below the soil level - it seems too shallow when you are doing it.  Mulch afterwards.

[mum of 3]

weve just moved into a house which fortunatly has a good sized garden ,we also have 3 peonies which are in full bloom at the moment beautiful looking plants