I planted a peony five years ago and although it has a lot of really healthy leaves, it has never bloomed. Any idea why?
Although it's normal for a peony not to bloom for a season or two after it's planted (or transplanted), one that stubbornly refuses to bloom for five years is likely suffering from cultural problems that need to be corrected if you are ever going to see anything more than glossy green leaves.
Peonies spring from tubers which possess eyes that need to be planted 1-2 inches below the soil surface. Any deeper and they will steadfastly refuse to bloom, so wait until temperatures begin to cool off this autumn and dig up your peony. Gently brush away the soil so that you don't damage any of the eyes then carefully replant the tuber at its proper depth. The problem should then eventually go away. I say "eventually" because digging up your peony and replanting it can result in it not blooming the following season. That's natural and nothing to worry about.
Although planting depth is usually the reason why a peony won't flower, there are other cultural issues to be considered.
Peonies bloom best when they are planted in full sun or light shade, so if your peony is planted in a particularly shady location, relocate it somewhere brighter. Also, like most flowering plants, if your peony gets too much nitrogen - either from direct fertilization or indirectly from being planted too close to a lawn - it'll have dynamic leaves but very little in the way of flowers. In this case, cutting back on the nitrogen may resolve your problem.
Also keep in mind that peonies are extremely hardy plants and their foliage can remain surprisingly lush through some of the nastiest droughts nature can throw at them. However, if the drought is particularly severe then your peony will be weakened and will respond by producing far fewer flowers the following year. The obvious answer in this case is to water your peony whenever a drought sets in.
If you have any questions or comments, please send them to me at vanessa@gardenmuse.ca.
