Peony Problems
Carolyne4
Posts: 11
I bought these container peonies at the beginning of summer which flowered beautifully before the heads dropped off and they ended up looking like this, I'm not sure if it's botrytis, peony wilt or something else, but wondered if anyone could advise please, whether they can be saved or should I sent them to the great garden in the sky?
0
Posts
Perfectly normal and it's what peonies do at the end of summer as they die down completely. They will come up again as normal next year but do remember to feed them regularly when they appear as they are never really happy in pots and need regular feeding and watering.
Phew! Thanks BobTheGardener. As I'm new to gardening I was pretty convinced it was my fault! ?
The one on the left would benefit from more soil underneath it (not on top as the tuber needs to be near the surface.) I would lift the root ball out and put in some good quality compost (a John Innes #3 would be ideal) to bring it up the the same level as the one on the right.
Brilliant - thanks BobTheGardener I'll get on to that ??
Mine like a little dust of copper sulphate every other year
A A Milne
In addition to Bob's advice, I wouldn't keep them in those pots much longer. They'll need a much bigger one to keep them happy, but you can do that in spring. Just remember to keep them slightly proud of the surface again - they need to be planted with the buds on or near the soil surface
I have to say - it's one plant that's really disappointing when it starts to go dormant. The foliage always looks terrible. I've got some planted pots in front of mine to hide them!
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...