What’s Happening Here?

Unlike most instances when I provide these diagnostic challenges at the top of the newsletter and then provide the answer at the end, this week’s challenge is going to be a little different. Basically, I received some images from a subscriber in British Columbia, Canada, asking if I knew what was going on with his peonies. Before I even responded, I thought to myself, “this would be a great challenge for the newsletter.” So here we are.

Take a look at this image.

As you can see the peony flowers are not opening. Is this totally unfamiliar to you or have you also observed this on peonies in the past?

I don’t have a lot of details for you, but I can tell you:

this image is from a cut flower producer
the peonies are grown outside
harvesting was going normally for about three weeks prior to this image
an application of chlorothalonil was applied about three weeks before this issue appeared
there were three cooler and rainy days about two weeks prior to the problem, followed by mostly average temperatures (there were a couple days of warmer to hot days mixed in)

That’s all the background info I have.

Have you seen this problem before? Do you know “What’s happening here?” Rather than providing the answer at the end of the newsletter like I normally do, I’d like to reach out and ask for your input. I will pass along your answers as well as what I think is going on in the next newsletter. This is your opportunity to not only look smart, but to help out a fellow grower and Perennial Pulse subscriber.

If you have experienced this before or know what is causing the peony flowers to not open, I’m asking you to please reach out and let me know your experiences and/or thoughts on this matter. Please send them to me at paul@pace49.com. I’ll share your responses anonymously in the next newsletter.

Thank you in advance for your participation.

2026 Biosolutions Guide

I’ve been part of some very exciting projects over the course of my career and being on the team that has developed the GrowerTalks Biosolutions Guide from concept to reality is right up there as one of my favorite accomplishments. I can’t believe it’s been four years since the inaugural issue back in 2023 and the 4th edition was just released this month.

You may have seen my Ball Publishing colleagues mention the Biosolutions Guide, sponsored by Koppert, in their newsletters or perhaps you’ve even received your printed version in the June 2026 issue of GrowerTalks magazine.

Before I tell you how you can get your hands on your own FREE digital copy, here’s what’s inside the 4th edition.

Friends with Benefits: The differences between biofungicides and biostimulants and how both can help during production.—Michael Brownbridge
The End Rotation Anxiety: Stop playing the MOA game with EPF—Jeremy Webber
MycoApply Mycorrhizal Fungi Trial Results—Katie Gustafson
The Next Step in Plant Health: Fifty percent savings of fertilizer. That’s a bold statement!—Lowell Halvorson
The House of Cards: Building a good pest management program, without a solid foundation the entire program could collapse.—Susanne Wainwright-Evans
Boost Biosolutions Success with Thorough Cleaning: Cleaning is a fundamental practice that needs to be the foundation of production.—Paul Pilon
Bioinsecticides Efficacy Table
Biofungicides Efficacy Table
And More

Feel free to download your own digital copy for FREE: 2026 GrowerTalks Biosolutions Guide.

The information in each of the Biosolutions Guides is really so good and packed with great information, you might want to save them and refer to them in the future. Here are links to the previous Biosolutions Guides:

2023 GrowerTalks Biosolutions Guide—First Edition

2024 GrowerTalks Biosolutions Guide—Second Edition

2025 GrowerTalks Biosolutions Guide—Third Edition

I'm hopeful you’ll find the information in these guides to be as useful and inspiring as I do. Feel free to download each of them so you can have these references on hand as you navigate through your biosolutions journey.

A Good, Thorough Cleaning

I don’t know if you noticed that I authored one of the articles in the above forementioned Biosolutions Guide. The title of the article is “Boost Biosolutions Success with Thorough Cleaning,” and as you probably guessed it’s about the importance of clean production facilities when it comes to preventing future problems from occurring and how cleaning and sanitation can be done in conjunction with biosolutions management strategies.

One of my objectives was to create a cleaning and sanitation article that was different than the typical run-of-the-mill article growers are accustomed to seeing. No, I didn’t use AI to write it, but I did ask Google Gemini 3 a question: “What is Greenhouse Sanitation?” The response I received was:

“The systematic cleaning and disinfection of a greenhouse environment, including surfaces, tools and equipment to prevent and control pests, diseases, weeds and pathogens from one crop cycle to the next, ensuring healthier plants and better yields by removing organic debris and sanitizing hard surfaces. It’s a crucial first step in Integrated Pest Management (IPM).”

I bolded two phrases from Gemini 3’s response. “From one crop cycle to the next” emphasizes that cleaning and disinfection should occur between every crop cycle. The second phrase—“It’s a crucial first step in Integrated Pest Management (IPM)”—emphasizes the importance of having a strong foundational sanitation program.

Thinking about the purpose of sanitation, I would say the primary goal in greenhouses is to eliminate carryover pests and diseases from being introduced to new crops. Sanitation is an important and necessary set of processes, including exclusion, cleaning, disinfection and prevention.

The article covers many of the steps and processes growers can implement to be clean. I also discussed sanitizers and disinfectants (they are not the same), differences between these products and how disinfectants can be used in conjunction with BCAs.

This is not in the article, but as you can imagine cleaning and disinfecting production areas has a cost and many growers are on tight budgets and trying to control expenses. This is well and good and I encourage all growers to manage their costs, but I would like to leave you with one question, “what would the real costs be if cleaning and sanitation processes were omitted altogether and some plants or entire crops were lost due to diseases or other issues that cleaning and sanitation practices could greatly lesson or completely prevent?”

Hopefully, that piqued your interest. Please read the entire article beginning on page 34 of the 2026 GrowerTalks Biosolutions Guide.

PPA Symposium

Summer is nearly officially here. Besides going to the beach and enjoying the beautiful Michigan weather, one thing I really enjoy is attending the Perennial Plant Association’s (PPA) National Symposium. This year I get the opportunity to do both and so do you as the PPA’s 2026 National Symposium is being held in East Lansing, Michigan.

The symposium will occur from July 27 to July 30, 2026 on the campus of Michigan State University with numerous tours in the surrounding areas. Here’s a sneak peak of the program.

Symposium Tours

Grand Ideas Tour	MSU Extension Grand Ideas Garden Calvin Ecosystem Preserve & Native Gardens Frederik Meijer Gardens Great Garden Plants Walters Gardens

Great Growers West Tour	Hortech Garden Solutions Opel Growers Walters Gardens

Insiders Only Tour	Ice/Lynch Home Garden Susan Martin’s Home Garden Dale Deppe’s Home Garden Windmill Island Gardens Chris Hansen’s Home Garden Walters Gardens

Short & Sweet Tour	Horrocks Farm Market Grand Ideas Garden Mast Young Plants Walters Gardens

Destinations by Design Tour	Oudolf Garden Detroit Dorothy H Turkel House & Garden UM Matthaei Botanical Gardens KC Runciman Landscapes MSU Horticulture Gardens

Way to Grow Tour	Wildtype Native Plants Raker-Roberta’s Blair Butterfly Garden & Prairie Gee Farms Nursery & Greenhouse MSU Horticulture Gardens

Ideas & Inspiration Tour	Van Atta’s Greenhouse & Flower Shop fleurdetroit Cranbrook Gardens Lynn O’Shaughnessy Private Garden MSU Horticulture Gardens

As you can see, there are lots of great tours with tons of opportunities to listen, observe, learn and network. I didn’t even get to the educational sessions. I will say the program includes 18 well respected industry professionals who will be covering a wide range of relevant topics. Sorry I didn’t have space to cover the full educational program here, but you can check it out by visiting: 2026 Perennial Symposium Speakers.

Please visit the symposium website for full event details and registration information. You can save a few bucks if you register on or before June 16.

Summer Trade Events

Here are several upcoming summer trade events. If you’re looking to write off some of your summer vacation, consider tying it in with one of these great learning and networking opportunities. Click on the event name for more information.

June 17, 2026	Darwin Perennials Day West Chicago, Illinois

June 25-27, 2026	FNGLA Annual Convention Coral Gables, Florida

July 11-14, 2026	Cultivate’26 Columbus, Ohio

July 27-30, 2026	PPA National Symposium East Lansing, Michigan

August 5, 2026	Walters Gardens Perennial Expo Zeeland, Michigan

August 11-13, 2026	Nursery/Landscape Expo San Antonio, Texas

August 19-21, 2026	The Landscape Show Orlando, Florida

August 26-28, 2026	Farwest Show Portland, Oregon

New Perennials from Plant Haven

Miscanthus Mystal Collection

Plant Haven recently introduced the Mystal Collection of Miscanthus. The collection is started from tissue culture, which results in very uniform and quick to produce crops. Check them out.

Gentle Breeze

Superfine silvery green foliage with fine elegant red highlights appearing as summer shifts to fall. Reaches 2- to 3-ft. tall.

Little Miss

Starts Apple Green and then turns ombre red in the summer. Tidy clumps with arching foliage grows 2- to 3-ft. tall.

Fire Dragon

Fresh green foliage during the season turning burgundy first in the fall and then ending with a beautiful fire red coloration. Grows 72 to 84 in.

Tiger Tail

Green foliage with bright yellow banding. Tight, sturdy clumps growing 60- to 84-in. tall with lots of flower power in the fall.

Each of the cultivars in the Mystal Collection are cold hardy to Zone 4.

Geum Totally Citron

This is sister of the popular Totally Tangerine introduced several years back. It was selected by breeder Tim Crowder. Totally Citron has beautiful sunshine yellow sterile flowers. It begins blooming in the early summer and continues flowering even during the heat of summer. Grows up to 3-ft. tall. Great for perennial gardens, attracting pollinators or even as cut flowers. Hardy to Zone 4.

Challenge Reminder

Before I sign off for the week, I just wanted to give a reminder for you to send your answers and experiences with peony flowers not opening. It would be great if we could help out someone in our community who is experiencing a new issue for them that may not be new to some of you. If you have experienced this or have any idea on what’s causing their peonies to not open, please send them to me at paul@pace49.com.

I’ll tally the responses and share them anonymously in the next newsletter. Thank you for your help and expertise.

My email is paul@pace49.com if you have any comments, article suggestions or if you'd just like to say hello.

Best regards,

Paul Pilon

Editor-at-Large—Perennial Pulse

National Sales Manager—Pace 49, Inc.

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