Distorted leaves Paeonia

[JPB]

Since a few weeks, some of my Paeonia species (corsica; cambessedesii; mloko..) develop strange leave deformations. I can't find a clue on the web...
What could it be? Any suggestions for a treatment?

[Hoy]

What about cold weather or too much fertilizer?

[David Nicholson]

You're not having a good year are you JPB?

[JPB]

You're not having a good year are you JPB?

But what a good year for the roses. Many blooms still linger there....

[JPB]

What about cold weather or too much fertilizer?

I grow my peonies in containers and I only fertilize sparingly, if at all. I cold was the cause, then it should have affected the other plants too. All of my other peonies are healthy.

[Afloden]

Cambessedessii (=corsica?), hellenica, and russoi all do this to me every year and I always assumed it was cold damage because these ones come up so early. Clusii does not do this though, and it comes up relatively early too, but not like the previous ones. My mlokosewitchii does not do this anymore now that it has matured. Sadly its pink...... Batch two from Archibald seed should flower in two years.

[Leena]

I would also suggest cold damage, some peonies are more sensitive to it like Afloden wrote.

[Darren]

I agree - cold damage. I see it with all the species Afloden mentions - except in the potted plants kept sheltered under glass until April.  That mlokosewitschii does this always surprised me but it does. Now our plant in the garden is bigger and I remember to mulch the shoots as they start to grow I no longer see this damage.

[JPB]

Thanks for your replies, I'm glad it is not an infection!

Ik keep the mediterranian peonies frost free and on the dry side, but I guess I put them outside too early. We had some very cold weeks here (2-5C, but no frost) so that may very well explain the cold damage...