Perennials: Peony problems 2 years running, 2 by LAS14

LAS14 wrote:
We had a peony plant that didn\'t bloom for several years, and then bloomed nicely for 10 or 15 years. 3 years ago we divided it. We didn\'t expect blooms, necessarily, but what happened the 1st and 2nd year after division is that both plants generated a number of buds, but almost all turned brown and never opened. This year (2nd year) we were careful to apply fungicide as soon as the buds appeared. I\'m attaching photos, but they don\'t show the brown deadness of the buds.

Any thoughts?
TIA
LAS