gardenymph
Member
Reged: 01/27/08
Posts: 33
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Why do ants love peony buds? Anyone know?
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IntrepidMeredith
Member
Reged: 03/20/06
Posts: 172
Loc: Zone 4 Wisconsin
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I think the buds secrete some kind of nectar that the ants are drinking. Everything that I've ever heard, however, says that the ants do no harm to the peonies while they're crawling on them.
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The great thing about gardening is that you always get a chance to start over!
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MDtibbies
Member
Reged: 06/12/09
Posts: 4
Loc: Maryland
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I'm told that not only do the ants do no harm, they actually aid the plant in getting the buds to open.
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Pat, in rural Maryland
zone 6b
Master Gardener
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Pippi
Member
Reged: 04/28/08
Posts: 27
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Ditto to all of the above responses.
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Janet214
Member
Reged: 03/12/10
Posts: 5
Loc: Northern California foothills
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Does anyone know if you can start your peonies in peat pots and then put them in the garden. I am creating new planting beds in my back yard and just a little behind due to the weather this year.
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IntrepidMeredith
Member
Reged: 03/20/06
Posts: 172
Loc: Zone 4 Wisconsin
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If you can't plant them in the ground right away, then holding them over in nursery pots with potting soil is probably your best bet.
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The great thing about gardening is that you always get a chance to start over!
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gaileeh
Member
Reged: 05/02/10
Posts: 4
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Contraty to popular belief, the ants do not help open the buds, but they do like the secretions that the buds produce.
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destiny
Member
Reged: 02/22/10
Posts: 17
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Ants are attracted to the sweet resin exuded on the flower buds.Peonies cannot open until ants eat away the seal that keeps the buds closed.
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Vegetable Garden
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