I correspond with the daughter of the original owners of my house (1962). She tells me her parents obtained the peony bulbs from a gardener at the Newport mansions and they arrived from England back in the day.
Anyways, I've lived here 2 years and they have gorgeous blooms, then not long after the blooms the leaves develop what appears to be powdery mildew (thanks Google!). I cut them back at the end of the season and the mildew recurred in the same way this year.
They are unsightly and I'd like to know if there is a way to prevent this. I can tell you there are a lot of them growing close together in a garden bed with a brick border. The soil is topped with large stones by the previous owner. I don't have supports for them. I try to obtain a couple at a time, but I can't afford to get enough for all the plants.
Thanks!
