Was a lot of weed killer used in that area last year or even earlier this year? Looks like what happens as the decaying roots release the weed killer and it is taken up by the roots in another plant.

As a matter of fact, I did spray a couple of applications of Tenacity over my lawn to kill off weeds earlier this year! This peony is actually less than a foot away from the lawn!

Did I kill off my new plant or is there a way to rescue it?

Thanks,

Ani

East Bay as in San Francisco? I'm not sure how well peonies do in California.

What is that gray rock like material underneath it?

California has a vast array of climates and temperatures. With care certain herbaceous peonies will live although they seldom bloom in southern California. They must be plant in that area of the state very shallowly.

Sadly you may have killed it off but do not give up. Something to try is to cut off all of the stems and hope. When you sprayed there was probably a breeze that blew the herbicide on the plant. You will need to wait until next spring to see if it survived although it may send up secondary stems but it looks like it was a small root and may not have that much energy stored in it.

If you must use things like that make a cardboard barrier between where you are spraying and the plants you want to protect. Do not remove the cardboard until the next day. Also be aware that some herbicides on a hot day will evaporate filling the air with tiny particles.

@cecily 7A I read that these are hard to grow in SoCal but can grow in the Bay Area.

@Embothrium It's the Agnihotra ash that can improve soil composition (https://www.agnihotra.org/2018/02/16/agnihotra-effects-of-agnihotra-and-agnihotra-ash-on-soil/)

@maifleur03 I agree with your analysis and advice. Thanks everyone for the inputs!

I'm inclined to suspect you overdid the ash.

Yes. I'm not convinced by the weed killer theory either. Keep it well flushed with water, scrape away the ash, lay off the additives and don't cut the top growth off. Then cross your fingers and be patient.

why not extreme stress.. and sunburn???

and it looks very dry for a large plant just planted a month ago .. take a teaspoon and gently dig down a few inches... and find out if there is adequate moisture in the root zone ...

a nice layer of mulch around the plant.. should help it for the rest of this year ...

i never fert a plant at planting.. it is stressed.. not hungry ... too much fert can burn the roots that are already under stress ...

i would also.. probably have removed the bud at planting.. figuring i needed it to focus on getting the roots pumping water.. rather than wasting the effort on the flower ... with perennials.. its all about next year.. and the future.. rather than instant gratification ... imo ...

ken

Peonies require at least 5 hours of sun in well drained soil. To me you plant looks like it’s receiving too much sun. It also looks very young. Generally peonies are purchased at 3 years or more. My first one, was a three year old plant. I waited 4 years before it bloomed. Now it blooms prolifically. When I purchased the plant, I was told that it was an easy care plant, takes care of itself, not to worry too much about water, once established of course. Yours looks young and burned out. Pesticide use would only make the situation worse. Good luck with whatever you decide to do. 👍🏽

Years ago an unsuitably alkaline, rose/lilac type of fertilizer was used by mistake on part of a rhododendron collection in my area. Affected plants turned bright yellow, remained that way until it wore off.

@Embothrium I only added the ash yesterday, haven't even worked it in the soil yet. Regarding your experience with wrong fertilizer, do Peonies need a specific fertilizer?

@floral_uk z.8/9 SW UK Thanks for your reply. I am planning to move the plant to a container and place it in a place that gets 5-6 hrs sun for while and see if it recovers.

Not a good time of year to dig it up. Really need to find out exactly what happened before giving it any additional treatments.

@ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5 It is not dry. The soil is wet, and that itself might be a problem or adding to the problem. Maybe the soil used to fill up the hole is not mixed well with the native clay soil and the root ball is all soggy. As mentioned above, let me try it in a container for a while and see.

@djacob Z6a SE WI I bought it at Home Depot in a 1 gallon container. Not sure how old the plant is. I am going to move back into a container.

I have this exact peony which I added to my yard 2 years ago. I also purchased it in a gallon pot So unlike my other peony, I don’t know how many years old it may have been. It’s in sun for at least 6 hours. Last year it got one bud that opened. I’m sure both yours and mine were young plants unlike my other peony. I think putting in a bit larger pot and relocating it is a good idea.

Gotch! Embothrium knows her stuff, I defer to her recommendations. Perhaps relocation in the future will be recommended.