Thanks Teresa. I don't think it's anything to do with what you are doing, I think it's probably dependent on the climate where you live. I live in a dry climate with hot summers and cold winters, and my peonies get really great fall color most years. I know that in milder, wetter climates, the peonies are not as striking in the fall, because I used to live on the other (wet) side of the mountains. I do water my flower beds daily in the summer, and we have sandy, alkaline soil. I have no idea whether any of these things affects the fall color or not. I don't know why some years all the trees are breathtaking in the fall, and other years just sort of meh. I would be interested to learn what makes the difference.
