Do Ants Really Help Peonies Bloom?
WouterSeveral people have asked me, “Do ants really help peonies bloom?” If you have seen ants around the garden, you are not alone. They are helpful to the garden and are beneficial for soil health. Ants provide protection for your flowers against destructive insects.
If you are planning to pick peonies, you may be worried that ants will damage them. If you want to pick peonies, you can avoid ants by using these tips.
Before you pick your peonies, make sure you know the best time to do so. You want to pick them when the buds are soft. If you pick them at the wrong time, you might have trouble getting them to open.
Peonies produce a sugary substance called nectar around their sepals. This sugary substance attracts ants. They come to the flower to pick the sugary sap for food. They then leave the flower and return to their nest.
If you pick the buds at the right time, you won’t have to worry about ants. You can even pick the buds before they are open.
After you pick the buds, you can dip them into water to remove the ants. This is the most gentle way to remove ants. If you don’t want to use water, you can also shake the stems. This will get the ants out of the flower and into a separate vessel.
If you cut your peony buds before they are fully open, you will not have to worry about ants. If you cut your peonies after they are open, you will still have ants.
