Peonies have been grown by gardeners for centuries. Long lived, hardy and undemanding, their exquisite, often scented, flowers are a joy to behold on a sunny spring day. As well as enjoying your peony garden outdoors, they also make wonderful cut flowers.
Peony garden
There are three basic types of peonies. Herbaceous ones which die back late summer, tree peonies that develop a permanent woody structure with flowers usually much bigger than herbaceous ones. Then, intersectional peonies which are a cross between herbaceous and tree peonies.
Although their flowering period is short, with careful planning it’s possible to have peonies in flower for as long as three months of the year. If you have space, there is nothing more delightful than an area of the garden entirely devoted to them.
If you’re thinking of creating a peony garden the perfect soil for them to grow in is well-drained clay as they prefer a rich, deep loam, high in nutrients. However, they will happily grow in most other types of soil, as long as their roots aren’t waterlogged. The soil also shouldn’t be too dry in the spring when the flower buds start to swell.
They flower best in full sun but will also grow in part shade. Be careful when planting herbaceous peonies as if planted too deeply they may not flower well or at all. The ‘eyes’ (red tips sprouting from the root) should be no more than 5cm below the soil surface. On the other hand, tree peonies are planted in a totally different way and should be planted deeply.
The very earliest flowering varieties will start to appear from April; ‘Avant Garde’, ‘Picotee’, ‘Early Windflower’ and ‘Honor’ are four good examples.
Paeonia ‘Honor’
This very early flowering peony produces goblet-shaped bright pink flowers. The single to semi-double blooms are fragrant, making them a wonderful addition next to a pathway in a cottage style garden.
- Flowers in spring
- Hardy
- Grows to 70cm tall
- Moist but well-drained soil
- Full sun or partial shade
- Sheltered
The next to flower start to appear from mid-May to early June, examples of which are ‘Claire de Lune’, ‘Eliza Lundy’, ‘Lemon Chiffon’ and ‘Red Charm’.
Paeonia ‘Red Charm’
This early season peony produces double, rich-red flowers on strong stems that won’t need staking. The deep red flowers are paired with dark green, glossy foliage.
- Flowers in spring
- Fully hardy
- Grows to 90cm tall
- Moist but well-drained soil
- Full sun or partial shade
- Sheltered
Early to mid-June is the time of the year when most peonies start to flower and a few examples of midseason flowering varieties are ‘Bowl of Beauty’, ‘Doreen’, ‘Honey Gold’, ‘Nymphe’ and ‘Sea Shells’.
Paeonia ‘Nymphe’
This variety produces many, medium size single, saucer like flowers of a pretty rose pink colour. The colouring shows off the bright yellow stamens in the centre of the flower, much beloved by bees.
- Flowers in spring
- Fully hardy
- Grows to 90cm tall
- Moist but well-drained soil
- Full sun or partial shade
- Sheltered
The final group to flower are the late season varieties, flowering between mid to late June, examples of which are ‘Dinner Plate’, ‘Lady Orchid’, ‘Marie Lemoine’ and ‘Pink Parfait’.
Paeonia ‘Pink Parfait’
The flowers on this scented, double, pink variety will bring plenty of texture to your peony garden. The blooms put on a show from late spring until well into summer.
- Flowers in spring
- Fully hardy
- Grows to 75cm tall
- Moist but well-drained soil
- Full sun or partial shade
- Sheltered
Growing peonies for cut flowers has become very popular and stems can last up to ten days in a vase. Peonies with pink or white flowers tend to last longer when cut than cerise-red ones. They tend to survive longest when cut early in the day and put straight into water. Examples of good cut flower varieties are, ‘Coral Charm’, ‘Coral Sunset’, ‘Duchesse de Nemours’ and ‘Sarah Bernhardt’
Paeonia ‘Coral Charm’
These plants produce very large deeply cupped coral-pink colour flowers on thick unbranched stems which turn a soft coral as they age. The blooms start off salmon pink, eventually turning to an orangey colour and then yellow.
- Flowers in spring
- Fully hardy
- Grows to 90cm tall
- Moist but well-drained soil
- Full sun or partial shade
- Sheltered
Peonies need to be given space around them when first planted, but once established they will grow happily mixed with other perennials. They prefer to not be crowded, so choose low growing perennials with shallow roots such as aquilegia, campanula, geranium and nepeta as companions.
With many varieties to choose from, your peony garden will be bursting with colour, texture, and fragrance. The only problem is you might want them all!
Find out more about adding texture to your garden:
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David Domoney is a Chartered Horticulturalist, Broadcaster, and Author. David has worked with a number of the UK’s leading garden retailers as a plant buyer and strategic consultant. With more than 30 years experience, in horticulture, David is as passionate about plants now as he was when he bought his first plant at a village fete.
I have had my Peony in for quite a few years never flowered but I now know probably in too deep. When is the best time I can dig it up and plant it in shallower soil. Thank You