Tuesday, June 5, 2018

You can't have one without the other

I have peonies planted in the front of my house. Every year for the last several years when they are getting ready to bloom I've had a problem with ants in the house. This year I started seeing them around the front door so I set out an ant trap. No ant problem in the house but no peonies either.

They've looked like this for about a week now. I think I may have spotted one or two stray ants the other day on them but that was it.


Maybe I should just move them to the back of the yard so they're far enough away from the house that I won't have to worry about the ants coming in.

23 comments:

crafty cat corner said...

Maybe they secrete something the ants like. I love peonies, its such a shame that they drop the petals so quickly.
Briony
x

MadSnapper said...

did you google it????

Marg said...

I am curious too as to why the Peonies make the ants come. They must have a special smell or something. Have a great day Ann.

Ginny Hartzler said...

Yes, peonies cannot open with ants chewing the buds. They are symbiotic. Wonder why they are coming in the house, though? It would be too bad if you have to move them, but it seems farther away from the house would work. Maybe check first and see what the best time of year is to move or plant them.

Grace said...

This is another thing I know about plants - I don't much you remember - ants help the peonies open - they why and wherefore I don't know, just the fact that they do. My mother had great gooey gobs of peonies amongst her great gooey gobs of roses - so I know about the ant thing. I am on the fence about whether or not I really like peonies, they ARE a showy flower.

Sandee said...

I don't like ants in the house so I'll make sure I never have these plants. Okay, we don't have any flowers at all here. Just shrubs, but we can still get ants. Hubby is on the lookout for them each spring/summer.

Have a fabulous day, Ann. Big hug to you and lots of scritches to Gibbs. ♥♥♥

Debby@Just Breathe said...

The one thing I remember from our neighbor in Western Springs, IL from over 30 years ago is that his peonies, which lined the fence line between our houses, is that they were filled with ants when they were going to bloom. I suggest you move them. I hate when ants get into the house.

Connie said...

I've never thought about that, but I had a hard time trying to get them to grow at my old house and thinking back ants were the problem. They must attack them. If you find out how to prevent it, we would all like to know the answer :)
Have a sweet day . . . now, go bake a pretty cake LOL!
Connie :)

Out on the prairie said...

no worry these ants won't survive of stay like a sugar or carpenter ants. They do alarm one crawling on your arm. Those were just baby snakes they get lots bigger.

Ann said...

I did read somethhing once that said something like that about the ants. I've known they need the ants to open but I didn't think putting out the ant traps would kill them all off Oh well. They do drop the petals really fast

Ann said...

There is something in them that attracts the ants and it needs them to help the buds open up. Not sure how it all works but that's the extent of what I know

Ann said...

I knew they couldn't open without the ants but I needed to keep them from coming in again. My only thought is because they are so close to the house that's making them come inside.

Ann said...

I'm the same, I know they need the ants but not the reasons behind that. They're pretty and they sure smell good but the blooms don't last long at all.

Ann said...

good idea because where there are peonies there are ants

Ann said...

I don't the exact reasons but I've known that peonies need ants for the buds to open. The only solution I can think of for the problem of them coming in the house is to move the peonies away from the house.

Ann said...

As much as I know that I hate seeing them crawling around in my house.

Pam said...

Oh...sorry for the blooms and ants. This yr has been terrible with them. I get them every spring but in a month they are gone. I got them in March and still fighting them in the house. They must have the most amazing noses, I drop a crumb of something and not realize it but with a couple mins they are there. Not only in the house, outside is crawling with them. My issue, I don't use chemicals on them, I try the natural way to rid my home of them....but I have been about at wits end this yr.

BeadedTail said...

My grandma had peonies and I remember the ants on them but didn't realize the ants were helping them. I don't like ants or spiders in the house so we have a pest control service come and spray around the foundation every other month and that's put a stop to them.

Duni said...

My peonies were in full bloom for about a week. They didn't survive the rainstorm. They aren't near the house, so no ant problem ;-)

Ann said...

Well having animals makes it hard to use chemicals. I did put out the ant trap but in a place I knew that Gibbs wouldn't be able to get a hold of it.

Ann said...

The first time I had peonies I didn't know about the ants and I sprayed the bush with ant spray. I ended up killing the bush but I got rid of the ants....lol

Ann said...

My peonies never survive the rain. It never fails, they just bloom and it always rains a day or two later.

Sharkbytes said...

I can live with the ants till the peonies are done. They don't last long.

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