Peony 'bulbils'

Buttercupdays

My old-fashioned red peony had a couple of very early flowers. Other shoots looked as if there might be buds to follow, but most of them came to nothing.

Three shoots however, have done something I have never seen before and produced what look like little bulbils where the bud should be, each complete with a tiny green leaf, like garlic. I'm assuming it is another effect of this years weather: I did consider fasciation at first, but the appearance is too uniform.

I don't know whether to leave them and see what happens or remove them and pot them up. I don't actually need any more of these peonies, but just fascinated to find out if I can grow them on. Any ideas out there?

Dovefromabove

How strange ... paeonies don't grow from bulbs so I don't see that they would produce bulbils.  Could they be seeds?  Can we have some photos please?

Fairygirl

Interesting. I often get tiny buds, with a leaf, which just don't develop - presumably because of weather etc, but they're exactly what a bud that isn't going to develop looks like - brown, even though they start off looking fairly normal.  I removed a couple just a  few days ago.

Ilikeplants

If it’s seed pods, one of my new peonies has also developed this. I’m tempted to try collecting and growing the seeds but it won’t flower for another 5 years! 

bertrand-mabel

Our yellow tree peony (Paeonia ludlow) always produces seed pods and we have seedlings come up in various places in the garden.

We have dug some up and given them to friends who, yes it took some years, have had them flower.

Our red one (Paeonia delavayi) however doesn't produce seed pods even though it is visited by bees.