Welcome Pamela,
Do wish I had tips for red ants but as far as I’ve been able to research they are no more harmful to the buds than other kinds of ants.
Are the buds well-developed before the ants get there or are they still quite small when the ants show up? Do they turn black at some point or just mummify? The only explanation I can think of is that if the ants are very active early in the season, they may be carrying lots of botrytis from the soil level to the plant tips, but that’s a pretty wild guess.
On the not-wild (and encouraging) side, 3 years is pretty young for a peony to be in good stride. Like lilacs, they sometimes bloom the very first year using stored energy from the growing field, then fail to flower for a few years until they get well established.
Oh, just a thought – where are you? Hot weather can do in peony buds, and red ants and hot places do go together like, well, like ants and peonies.
Good luck this year.
Leslie

We do a weekly feature for kids called Animal Fact, Animal Fiction, where we debunk myths and “common wisdom”. I’m hoping to do an entry next week on ants and peonies, since it’s the season.

I’m writing to ask if you would consider giving us permission – with a photo credit, of course – to use your image. Thanks for your consideration!

(permission was granted)

DEEPEST sympathies. As far as I know leafcutter ants are the only ones that damage plants, so the peonies should be fine. You, it’s a different story.

Peonies are usually most ant-infested before they open, but there are at least a few stragglers pretty much all the time – that’s why it’s always a good idea to make peony bouquets outdoors and leave them there ( in a cool place sheltered from the sun) for a couple of hours. Most of the lurking ants will depart and that’s always been enough with the black ones.

Red, I dunno.
And hope I never learn firsthand. But I’m sure you’re not alone so do please report back if the outdoor rest period does the job (or not!). Expect I don’t need to suggest you wear long, fairly heavy gloves like dishwashing gloves while cutting and arranging…

glad you’re on board. As regards your questions:

*not all buds bloomed – happens frequently. If hot weather hits, even for a day, the ones that aren’t almost ready often decide not to both.

*black on the petals – the pollen is purple black and can be abundant

*planting seeds – it’s a different species from common peonies so the seeds would probably come true, but it’ll be a long time before the babies are big enough to flower.

* cut off spent flowers to conserve plant energy

* and, of course, your basic question: get more plants by dividing. Roots should be dug in late summer ( mark the spot; foliage will be gone by then). You’ll see clearly where to divide when you look at the clump. Be very careful when digging, roots are not deep and they run a long way horizontally – start digging carefully, with a fork not a spade, about a foot away from the outermost foliage. Replant at once, ideally in a spot that gets full sun until about noon and is then partially shaded for the rest of the day. If the soil is good quality, rich in organic matter, you won’t have to fertilize, but the plant will appreciate a skirt of compost in the spring. Spread generously, remembering those wide roots, and don’t let it touch the stems.

and good luck making yourself lots more; they really ARE beautiful.

My question is/ I have a nice fern peony and i love it, it had about four blooms on it but not all the buds got big enough to bloom ! but i want to
make another bush from it, but when it flowers the pedels of the flower has black on it and now they are finished blooming and it looks like they have seed pods where the bloom was ,do I plant those ? or cut them off and or dig part of plant and plant it ?
and should i fertilize it i don’t know what to use?

I should have put Peony tips (above ) in bold a lot sooner! Most of your questions are answered there. And – because I LOVE peonies – there are several other peony posts. Easiest way to find them is to search for peony in the ” search” box on the right, near the top of the page.

As far as I know, all the first tier peony nurseries sell online. Two of my favorites are Klehm’s Song Sparrow and Adelman Peony Gardens .

Guess you could say it IS intentional: they intend to eat something tasty. The really tough part is that it’s not malicious; they don’t know they’re driving us crazy, which sort of makes it worse.