If your peonies are starting to bud out chances are that the ants have moved in. The peony bud is covered in a sugary nectar that the ants just love to eat. I was told, and always believed, that the buds would not open if the ants didn’t eat the nectar off. Now, that theory seems to be up for debate. Some are saying that the ants do nothing for the peony and to spray them or wash them off before bringing cut peonies into the house. I am not an advocate of spraying, I don’t like using insecticides, especially if soapy water will work just as well.
Another tidbit I have found is that if you have rid your peonies of ants you can cut a small slit in the buds right before they are ready to open to help them open. Wait until they are large, starting to show a little color and are soft and squishy.
Personally, a few ants don’t bother me and I will be leaving mine alone. I’d rather err on the side of caution and know that my peony buds will be unfurling into beautiful, full fluffy blooms without the added labor of cutting slits in them. Besides, Grandma isn’t usually wrong and old wives tales do sometimes have some merit.
“And to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the heavens and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food. And it was so.” ~Genesis 1:30 ESV
