AlexUnder said:I know that it best to get rid of buds in the first few years, but it is such a pain to lose ability to enjoy flowers right after you bought a new eagerly anticipated plant! Especially for new variety which could be simply mislabeled. I probably will do it this spring with the newly divided roots though as I am sure what I have.
It really depends on how old/big the division you have bought is. To talk Itoh's, the two Bartzella I bought were really small divisions, meaning they needed bud removals for the first three years. But the Copper Kettle I was sold as "ready to go", without any need for bud removal.
It's obviously a matter of money: that Copper Kettle was twice as much as two Bartzella division. You get what you pay for.
I have been experimenting a bit with pruning with Japanese wood peonies. The results on a small Renkaku have been dramatic to say the very least but I will post the details this Spring, after it bloomed for the second time (if I don't hang myself first).
I also had to prune my gigantic Shima Daijin, but it had less to do with improving bud production and more with correcting severe growth problems. Lots of spindly growth and too unbalanced towards the South. We'll see how well it performs.
