We have a peony tree that, to my recollection, has never blossomed in the 24 years we’ve been here. The tree is older because we inherited it with the house.
We live in zone 5 and the tree has been in triple mix soil for 4 years and is now in black soil in a container that has very good drainage. My husband transplanted the peony tree this year into this container that puts the peony in a sunnier location than it was before. We had a rhubarb plant in the container but for a year there was nothing planted in that soil so he did not change it.
We had the garden professionally done so all our peonies (bushes and this tree) were uprooted but they all came back beautifully. This tree is doing the same thing it has done – not blooming.
It grows well, is green and seems healthy, and yet doesn’t blossom. We do not fertilize it. The mottling on the leaves has been there for awhile.
Is there anything we can do to get it to flower?
Thanks
Thank you for contacting the Toronto Master Gardeners with your question.
Fertilizing is definitely recommended for your tree peony’s and will likely improve your chances of seeing blooms. Fertilize a tree peony the same way you do for its herbaceous counterpart. They are very responsive to feeding, but care should be taken not to over-fertilize. Use a complete fertilizer such as 5-10-5, referred to as a complete fertilizer because it contains a beneficial percentage of nitrogen, phosphorous, and potassium to promote growth flower production and root growth.
Also a slightly alkaline soil PH is preferable to the tree peony. So if the fertilization does not elicit a response you may want to test the PH.
Best of luck with your tree peony.