Why your peony isn't blooming (and how to fix it)

It's the most common question we get in late spring. A peony that came up beautifully, all green and leafy and full of promise — and then nothing. No flowers, or maybe one sad bud that browned and dropped. The plant looks healthy. What's wrong?

Almost always, the answer is one of five things. We'll go in order from most to least likely, because the fix is usually simple once you know which one you're looking at.

1. Planted too deep. This is the cause about three times out of four. Peony eyes — the small pink buds on the crown — need to sit one to two inches below the soil surface. Any deeper, and the plant will grow lush leaves indefinitely without ever forming flower buds. The fix is straightforward but requires patience: in fall, after the foliage has died back, dig the plant up and replant it with the eyes just barely covered. Expect to lose the next season's bloom; the season after that, you'll have flowers.

2. Not enough sun. Peonies need at least six hours of direct sun a day, and they bloom best with closer to eight. A peony planted under a tree that has grown up around it, or in a spot that gets only morning light, will slowly stop blooming even if the plant itself looks fine. The fix is either to move the plant (fall is the right time) or to prune back what's shading it.

3. Too young, or recently moved. Peonies sulk after transplanting. A newly planted division — whether from us or from a friend's garden — typically takes about two years to bloom well. Year one is roots, year two is when the plant starts to feel like itself and put on its first real flowers. If you've moved a peony recently, the answer is just time.

4. Late frost damage. A hard frost after the buds have formed can kill them without harming the foliage. You'll see the plant come up normally, set buds, and then watch those buds brown and shrivel without opening. There's nothing to fix mid-season — but next spring, if a late frost is forecast and buds are visible, drape the plant overnight with a light sheet or row cover. Pull it off in the morning.

5. Too much nitrogen. If your peony is in a lawn or near a heavily fertilized bed, it may be getting flushed with nitrogen that pushes leafy growth at the expense of flowers. The fix is to stop fertilizing with high-nitrogen feed and switch to a balanced or bloom-focused fertilizer (or just compost) in early spring. You'll usually see results the following year.

What it almost never is: a problem with the plant. Peonies are remarkably long-lived and forgiving. If yours isn't blooming, the cause is almost always something about its situation — and almost always something you can change.