Why are there so many ants on my Peony?

A few people have asked us about ants on their Peony's and if they should spray them. DO NOT SPRAY THEM IF YOU WANT FLOWERS!!! The ants actually help the peony flowers to open and have a symbiotic relationship with the peony. The flower buds on the peony have a sticky honey on them that attracts the ants. The ants will eventually remove the honey and this allows the beautiful flower to open. The double peony flowers especially need the ants to remove the honey to open. I have had friends who sprayed their peony and wondered why it didn’t flower – so if you want your peony to flower just let the ants to their job and you will get beautiful peony blooms.

This is a picture of an heirloom peony in our yard that is white with a little bit of reddish pink center and a rose like fragrance. This was one of the few plants that we found in our yard when we moved in many years ago and it’s still doing well after probably 60 years. The ants love it….