Hi Denise, I love this question because the answer is so easy. Scrape back any mulch or soil near the base of the peony plant. When peonies are planted too deep or have mulch on top of the root they fail to bloom. No need to feed peonies if you have average to good soil. Too much fertilizer could encourage leaves at the expense of flowers. In the fall when the peony foliage turns yellow cut the stem back to ground level and remove the foliage. This will help to prevent disease. Next spring I predict a peony flower explosion from this plant. Keep growing, Marianne Binetti