Getting it to bloom

Why won't my Common Peony 'Rubra Plena' bloom? (and how to make it flower)

Also called Common peony, Old-fashioned peony, Memorial Day peony (Paeonia officinalis).

More about common peony 'rubra plena'

About Common Peony 'Rubra Plena'

Paeonia officinalis · also called Common peony, Old-fashioned peony · flowering

One of the oldest cultivated peonies, 'Rubra Plena' bears lush, fully double, deep crimson-red blooms in late spring. A robust herbaceous perennial suited to cottage and heritage gardens. Very cold-hardy. All parts are mildly toxic to pets — ASPCA lists the genus as toxic to dogs, cats, and horses.

Plant type: flowering

Watch for — Botrytis blight: Stems and buds blacken at the base in cool, wet weather. Remove affected growth immediately and avoid wetting foliage.

The reasons common peony 'rubra plena' isn't blooming

Almost every non-blooming common peony 'rubra plena' traces back to one of these, roughly in order of how common they are:

Too little sun — most of these need full sun (or very bright light) to flower well; shade gives leaves, not blooms.
Too much nitrogen feed, driving lush foliage at the expense of flowers (very common with general or lawn feeds).
The plant has not been deadheaded, so it stops flowering once it sets seed.
Irregular watering — drought or waterlogging at the budding stage makes buds abort.
It is still too young or was checked by a transplant and is rebuilding before flowering.

Feeding common peony 'rubra plena' a high-nitrogen general feed and growing it in too little sun — you get a big leafy plant and almost no flowers.

The fix — how to get common peony 'rubra plena' to flower

Maximise sun. Give common peony 'rubra plena' the sunniest spot you have — for most bedding and fruiting plants, more direct light directly means more flowers.
Switch the feed. Move off high-nitrogen feeds and use a higher-potassium "bloom" or tomato-type feed as it comes into flower.
Deadhead regularly. Remove spent flowers often to keep it producing more rather than stopping to set seed.
Water consistently. Keep moisture even through budding and flowering — drought-then-flood swings make buds drop.

Light and feeding do most of the heavy lifting here. Dial in the spot with the light guide for common peony 'rubra plena' and get the feeding right with the common peony 'rubra plena' fertilising schedule — the wrong feed (too much nitrogen) is one of the most common silent reasons a healthy plant makes leaves instead of flowers.

Bloom season and what to expect

Common Peony 'Rubra Plena' flowers across its growing season (mostly summer) and, kept fed and deadheaded, can bloom for many weeks or right up to frost.

Post-bloom care so it flowers again

Deadhead, keep feeding lightly, and many will rebloom; collect seed from the best plants at the end of the season if you want to grow them again.

For everything else this plant needs day to day, see the full common peony 'rubra plena' care brief and its watering schedule — a stressed, badly watered plant rarely has the energy to flower at all.

Common Peony 'Rubra Plena' blooming — frequently asked questions

Why won't my common peony 'rubra plena' flower?

Common Peony 'Rubra Plena' blooms on the season's growth given enough sun, warmth and the right feed — there is no cold or photoperiod trick, just good growing conditions and a bloom-leaning feed. The most common reason it is not happening: Too little sun — most of these need full sun (or very bright light) to flower well; shade gives leaves, not blooms.

How do I make common peony 'rubra plena' bloom?

Give common peony 'rubra plena' the sunniest spot you have — for most bedding and fruiting plants, more direct light directly means more flowers. Move off high-nitrogen feeds and use a higher-potassium "bloom" or tomato-type feed as it comes into flower.

When does common peony 'rubra plena' normally bloom?