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Show i PenDiiiDes Airs Weiry F&issy A number of readers have ", mitten to me about their i peonies that do not bloom. In i nost cases the plants had 1 ten transplated a year or so ' earlier. J PEONIES ARE very fussy 5 about how they are planted. They show their resentment rr and improper planting by refusing to bloom. I would guess that in more than 90 w percent of the cases of .non- "( bVooming peonies the reason J is improper planting. " i The key to planting peonies is getting the eye or crown at the proper depth below the surface. If peonies are planted plant-ed too shallow or too deep they will not bloom. PEONIES ARE best transplanted in the fall after the foliage has completely died down and they are dormant. dor-mant. You will note that peonies will die back much earlier than many other perennial plants. When planting or transplanting you must be sure that the eye or crown is exactly one inch below the surface. In most cases with gardening you can guess at depths. Not so with peonies. Actually use a ruler. Here's how: DIG YOUR hole for the peony about a foot deep and the same in diameter. Put the soil aside and mix it with equal parts of peat moss or compost. com-post. This is important because the peony may be in the same spot for many years so you need to put the roots in good soil. Now place a stick across the hole. Hold your peony with one hand and the ruler with the other. Adjust the plant so it is exactly one inch below the stick. Then replace the enriched soil around the roots. ANOTHER PEONY problem is having buds form that turn black when they get to be the size of a pea. This is botrytis disease. You csn keep this in check by removing remov-ing all the leaves from around the plant in the fall when they die. Neatness counts. You'll see ants crawling over the buds, too. The ants are there to get the sweet nectar given off by the buds. Spraying with Raid House and Garden aerosol will control con-trol the ants. PLANTED properly and given good sanitation, a peony can give garden pleasure for many, many years. A plant in the same spot for 50 years is not uncommon. |
