Friday, November 18, 2011

Peony flowers and ants. What is the relationship?

I have a full stand of peony Flowers, but they have ants on them. Someone told me that the bud requires some action from the Ants in order to bloom. I think they are just after the sweet nectar.





Who has the answer?

Peony flowers and ants. What is the relationship?
Peonies don't need ants to bloom, but the ants don't really hurt the flowers either. The ants are after the nectar, but even if the ants aren't there the peonies will bloom fine.





At worse the ants are unsightly on the flowers, at best they might remove enough of the sticky nectar to aid the flowers minimally.
Reply:The ants are attracted to the sweet substance released on the flowers of the plant. What is nice about having Peonies is they also help keep ants from wanting to enter your house, because the plants attract them so much they spend their time on the plants. I haven't tried it, but they say that if you plant the Peony by the entrances to your house the ants will definitely stay outdoors with the plants.
Reply:The ants help the Peony to bloom, just make sure when you cut them to take in the house you get rid of any ants.
Reply:They do require the ants for the bloom to open. I have several Peony bushes.
Reply:I've been told the ants crawl between the petals and help them unfurl.


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