Hi, I have had beautiful peonies for years. This year however, my peonies did not grow. It seems as though they are sick? I am hoping they will come back next year but I am so sad that it looks as if they may not recover.

The few plants that did grow, only a quarter grew and the buds look odd. I did fertilize a little this year. Not sure if this is the cause?? Please help. I could not find anything online that could help me and hope you may have some guidance.

Thank you!

It looks like herbicide drift damage.

Lucy68 said: It looks like herbicide drift damage.

Thank you! Will it return normal next year? Do plants return from this?

Its a wait and see game. Some plants recover and do fine while others never do. Your best chance is to take really good care of them this year and hope they grow normally next year. It would be easier to tell what's going on if peonies grew more after their initial growth in spring. Don't over fertilize.