Hi --

I just invested in a large border planting including evergreens and 9 Gansu Tree Peonies (actually 7 divided into 9). All of the Peonies are being treated the same but some look very healthy while 3 are seriously declining. I looked around the forums but none of the common afflictions seemed to match the symptoms to my untrained eye. So hoping someone here can help!

Pictures and details below.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

Michael

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Details

* I'm in CT about a mile from the coast of the sound. Zone 6.

* I'm told the tree peonies are about 10 years old and they are on their own root (though most still have the herbaceous graft as well)

* Planted in winter. Had to pretty much break through frozen layer of ground to get them in. This is the first spring I've had them.

* At the sellers direction planted in a deep hole (3'x3') with equal parts mix of native soil, compost, and stone dust. Also tossed in a handful of lime to bring the Ph in range

* Top dressed with mushroom compost as a mulch this spring and added some light general purpose fertilizer

* All the peonies leafed out (though some better than others). The healthiest ones had a few small flowers. As I understand, that is a poor showing for their age, but not unexpected given the recent stresses of being transplanted

* Irrigation is set up to drench them infrequently (1x a week) -- but it has been turned off until recently since we've had a very wet spring with several weeks with 2"+

* Over last several weeks a few of the peonies have been wilting and their leaves have been shriveling at the edges. The most severe case is one of the divisions.

* There is a walnut nearby. The closest Peony is probably about 15' from it. But the walnut leans steeply away from the plantings over a fence so no litter falls near the peonies. My research found that 'some peonies' have issues with juglone. But none say which varieties nor mention tree peonies. When planting I showed the seller the walnut and she didn't think it would be an issue.

Any idea what the issue should be and how I could correct? Transplant stress I should wait out? Is it a fungus/sickness I should treat? Planting depth? Too much/little water? Juglone -- get them or that tree out of there? Other?

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Healthy Shrub

Declining Shrub:

Declining Division: