I was thrilled to find two large peony plants covered by grass and weeds when we moved here last fall. In late winter I removed all the grass and added compost. The foliage and buds looked healthy and strong until we had rain for a month. Now I have a fungus destroying the stem below the bud. The stem withers and is very thin and black. The descriptions of Botrytis blight and leaf blotch I have found on the internet just don't seem to match whatever is going on. Can anyone help me identify and eliminate the problem? Thank you

{{gwi:1141199}}Â Â

{{gwi:1141201}}Â Â