There was a freeze warning in our area last Friday, odd for May, and I covered the peony buds with burlap. But first, I harvested half of the buds, because Facebook tells me you can put them in the fridge and force them to bloom later at your will.
I’ve forced blooms with cut forsythia, I think I remember mom forced paper-whites in the winter, but I’ve never heard about this peony trick.
If this works — if I can actually have peonies without the ants —that is a game changer.
Peonies! Without! Ants!
May your efforts be successful!
(if it doesn't work, though: can you put those anti-ant rings around the base of individual peony bushes to get at least *one* that you can cut ant-free flowers from?)
Posted by: KC | May 10, 2020 at 01:11 PM
KC - wait, what? There are anti-ant rings? I need to look that up for next year.
Posted by: theQueen | May 11, 2020 at 02:15 PM
When one of our cherry trees had a serious aphid problem, one of the fixes for it was this... wide double-sided ant-unfriendly sticky tape?... [okay, the internet says it's called Tanglefoot] that you wrap around the trunk of the tree so ants have a really hard time getting up there. But there are also ant barriers or deterrents (homemade or for purchase) that you can make a ring of around whatever. (I mean, some ant-barrier insecticides are for circling your entire *house* with; but then there are DIY unpleasant-to-ants options, ranging from diatomaceous earth [fabulous inside if no pets - just don't breathe it - not sure whether it works outside] to things ants just hate the smell of.)
Posted by: KC | May 11, 2020 at 04:11 PM