Why Are My Peonies Not Flowering?

Plants & Flowers
Peonies Flowering

Peonies are beautiful garden plants that are among the most popular plants to grow. The plant, Paeonia lactiflora, is generally known under its common name, the Garden Peony. These plants are considered very reliable and are commonly used in gardens in temperate climates.

Peonies are also famous for their gorgeous flowers. The blooms appear in late spring or early summer and flowers are particularly large and nicely scented. It is also not unusual to see many double flowers.

Another great thing about Peonies is that they live for a long time. It is not unusual to grow them over the period of 30 or 40 years. Even such older plants can give plenty of flowers each year. And since Peonies don't require a lot of care except for a bit of hand weeding, they are also hassle-free. These are great plants for those who don't have much time to dedicate to gardening.

Peonies Not Flowering: Why?

While most gardeners are happy to see their Peonies blooming every year, others are not that lucky. Peonies not flowering is not an unknown problem. Indeed, there are gardeners who consistently struggle to make their Peonies bloom.

The good news is that many of the common issues with Peonies not flowering are easy to fix. It is important to identify the reasoning why your plants struggle to produce blooms, but once this is settled, chances are that you will be able to fix the issue without much trouble.

Here are some of the main reasons for peonies not flowering, and what to do to fix the issue:

Your Plants Are Young

One of the basic reasons for Peonies not flowering is if they are too young. In general, these plants need to mature over several years in order to start producing flowers. Keep in mind that Peonies are very slow growing and they mature over the course of 3 to 5 years.

This is the minimum time to expect your Peonies to start producing flowers. And when they start blooming, it will take additional few years to bloom abundantly. You just need to be patient.

Keep in mind that this is also true for newly propagated Peonies. Your new plants will take some time to mature and be able to produce blooms. It is not unusual for Peonies propagated in your garden to take even longer than 3 to 5 years to bloom.

Peonies Not Flowering Because of Transplantations

Peonies are plants that don't like to be transplanted, and this is particularly true for mature plants. They have a lot of long roots and they don't like to be moved around. If you wish to transplant mature peonies to a new spot, keep in mind that this might interfere with flowerings.

This is particularly true for Peonies that are 7 years old or older. It is not unusual for such a plant to refuse to flower after being transplanted in a new place. In many cases, it will only start to produce blooms again after several years.

To prevent this issue, it is best to divide your Peonies before you transplant them. Divisions make new plants and this is a good way to rejuvenate your Peonies. This essentially makes your plant younger, and such a plant will probably produce blooms in the following spring.

When doing divisions, make sure to always create plants with 3 to 5 eyes. Less than this will make the plant too young so you would have to wait for years to see some flowers.

Peonies Planted Too Deep

Keep in mind that Peonies need to be planted at the depth of not more than 2 inches of soil. If you plant them deeper than that, they will not bloom. Such a plant that is deep in the soil will still grown nicely, and it will produce a lot of foliage, but it will not give flowers, or it will only produce a few blooms.

In order to fix this problem, dig up your Peonies and replant them at the correct depth. The best time to do this is in the early fall. Or, if you are patient, you can simply wait. Peonies planted too deep will generally correct themselves, but it might take years before they start to bloom.

Too Much Shade

Peonies love the sun and thrive in full sunlight. Unless you live in the hottest of climates, where keeping them in partial shade is the best, your Peonies will thrive in a lot of sunshine. If you place them in a shady part of the garden, they are not likely to produce flowers.

Correct this issue by transplanting your Peonies into a sunny part of your garden or patio. Also, you can try to reduce the shade in their original spot, if possible. For example, you can remove tree branches that are above the Peonies.

Pruning Too Much

Too much pruning can also be a problem. Peonies not flowering because too much of their foliage was cut is not a rare problem. Remember: the plant rebuilds its energy supply after flowering and is begins to prepare for the next year. This is possible through the leaves. In other words, the plant needs enough leaves to be able to prepare for the next blooming season. 

In order to prevent this issue, simply refuse to prune your Peonies after they bloom. Make sure to leave the foliage as it is until early fall. This will ensure that the plant has enough energy for the next year's blooming.

Other Issues for Peonies Not Flowering

There are also some additional issues that may cause your Peonies to not bloom, such as using too much nitrogen-rich fertilizer, severe aridity of the soil, rocky soil, very alkaline or acidic soil or too hot, tropical conditions. Also, a late frost or a disease can be a cause for Peonies not flowering, so make sure to always protect your plants from frost and check it regularly to notice potential signs of diseases.

Photo credit: Jim & Robin Kunze

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