peonies changing color

by sherry bryant
(madison in)

My mom has had a peony for several years and it has always been pink. This year my mom's peony is white. Does she need to amend her soil in some way or was it from the severe ice storm they had last winter? Thanks

Doug says that some peonies will develop different shades of color depending on the amount of sunlight they receive. So deeper reds in more sunlight isn't uncommon.

Some peonies will throw a different coloured bloom (usually only one or two blooms per plant) every now and then. Usually in the same color range - a red peony might produce a more pinkish bloom.

The official answer is that mature peonies do not change color. Sometimes a seedling grows and it might appear to change color.

Frankly, I'm not happy with this answer and am interested in reversion questions.

Bottom line - for your purposes, it's not in the soil. Feed the plant compost in the fall or early spring and make sure it gets watered once a week during the growing season. It will be fine.

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peonies changing color

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Peonies turning white
by: Anonymous

Our peonies that been bright pink for several years and this year they are all white except for a few blossoms....want to know what I can do to change them back to pink!!

Faded Blooms
by: pasdechat

My peonies too bloomed this year in different colours than in previous years. My pale pinks are completely white and my bright pinks are very pale pink. The blooms are large and healthy but I would like to have something more colourful as I have in previous years. I wonder if this is a temporary aberration or if my wonderful colours are gone from my garden forever. I wish someone knew what was causing this problem as many of us seem to be having the same difficulty.

ruby to pinks
by: Anonymous

I moved into our house 13 years ago. It has a 100 foot peony bed that has been there since the original owner of the house put it in (the late 1940's.) This year all the ruby plants are sending up flowers that are pale pink or mixed (ruby bottom petals and pink or white top petals). I am don't understand why, and it is very sad. I'll try spraying with copper sulfate next spring in case the cause is a fungus.

My Peonies Changed!
by: Nonny

I have had two long rows of peonies for the past 14 years. Last year, the pinks, rubies & yellows all changed to white & once again they are white this year. I am so sad!!

MY PEONIES ALSO CHANGED COLOR
by: LASTGIFFIN

My red peonies are pale pink, my pink peonies are white. Same sun, same bush. It is a mystery to me, and I miss my red and pinks-the entire garden came up white.

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Doug Green