From my perspective as a Paeonia lactiflora, the most common and devastating reason for my buds to turn black, wither, and die is a fungal disease called Botrytis blight, often known as gray mold. The fungus *Botrytis paeoniae* specifically targets me. It thrives in the cool, wet conditions of spring, often attacking my tender, sap-rich buds just as they are beginning to swell. You might notice the bud becoming soft and brown, then covered in a fuzzy gray mold. The fungus can also cause my young stems to wilt and collapse. This infection often enters through wounds or old flower stalks left from the previous year. While I appreciate your care, my plea is for preventative measures: ensure I am planted in a location with good air circulation, avoid overhead watering that keeps my buds wet, and crucially, in the fall, cut my stems back to the ground and remove all foliage from the area to deny the fungus a place to overwinter.
I notice your concern about ants, and I must clarify a common misconception. The ants are not the cause of my buds dying; they are merely visitors attracted to the sweet, sticky nectar I exude from the sepals (the green leaf-like structures covering my bud). This is a natural process for me. The ants, in their quest for this sugary substance, may even provide a service by deterring other insects that could genuinely harm me, such as bud-eating beetles. Therefore, seeing ants on my healthy buds is not a sign of distress. However, if a bud is already dying from another cause (like Botrytis), the sweet sap may flow more freely, attracting even more ants. In this case, the ants are a symptom of the problem, not the cause itself. Please do not use pesticides on them, as this can harm the soil ecosystem I depend on.
My bud development is a delicate process, and I am sensitive to several environmental conditions. A late spring frost is a significant threat. If my buds have already begun to swell and are caught in a hard freeze, the tender tissues inside can be killed, causing them to turn black and fail to open. Similarly, a sudden, extreme heatwave after a cool period can shock my system and cause bud blast, where the buds simply abort and dry up. From a cultural standpoint, if I am planted too deeply, my "eyes" (the red buds at the base of my stems) struggle to get the energy they need, leading to weak growth and bud failure. Furthermore, while I am a heavy feeder, an imbalance in nutrients—particularly too much nitrogen—can encourage lush foliage at the expense of my flower buds, making them more susceptible to disease.
While ants are innocent bystanders, other pests can genuinely compromise my buds. Thrips are tiny insects that can rasp the surface of my buds, sucking out the juices and causing the petals to become distorted, brown, and never open properly. You might need to look closely to see them. Additionally, physical damage can be a direct cause. A careless bump from a garden tool, a curious animal, or even strong, whipping winds can bruise or break the delicate connection between the bud and its stem, cutting off its water and nutrient supply, leading to its death.
