Gardeners’ Forum: “Peony trouble”
Back to Gardeners’ ForumPeony trouble
Posted by Amelinda on Wednesday, September 26, 2007 4:23 pm ADTA family friend gave me some peonies this spring after dividing hers; I planted them in the sunniest spot I could find in my mostly shady yard and they seemed at first to be doing great, lots of shiny leaves and buds. Something went wrong after that, though - flowers didn't open, stems turned black and shrivelled. What I've been able to find on the internet suggests they're suffering from botrytis. Can anybody tell me whether they'll come back next year? Will this be a recurring problem? Will fungicide do the trick, or is there some other way of preventing this from happening again?
re: Peony trouble
Posted by Vanessa on Friday, September 28, 2007 8:23 am ADTYes, it sounds as though your peonies suffered from botrytis blight, which is a fungus or grey mould. This is usually prevalant in cool and wet weather. Ensuring that the plants have good air circulation is key to keeping the leaves dry. After a good hard frost this fall, cut the plants right down to the ground and take all of the material away from your garden. Next spring you may consider applying a fungicide preventatively before there are any signs of the disease. If you still have the problem next season, you may be forced to transplant the peonies to a more airy location if you can. Hope this helps.
