Peonies - Old Fashioned, Fragrant Perennials

By Marie Iannotti, About.com Guide

Double Peony

Marie Iannotti

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Overview:

Peonies are beautiful, often fragrant, clump forming perennials with large cupped or ruffled showy flowers.

Description:

Peonies are long-lived and easy to grow. Flowers can be single double or anemone-like, in shades of white, pink and red. New foliage is reddish and mature to a dark green, with deeply lobed leaves that stay nice all season.

Latin Name:

Paeonia

Common Name(s):

USDA Hardiness Zone:

USDA Zones: 3-8

Size:

1½ - 3½' tall, 2-3' wide

Exposure:

Full sun to light shade

Bloom Period:

May and June

Suggested Varieties:

P. ‘Sarah Bernhardt’ is a late blooming soft pink, fragrant double
’Krinkled White’ is an early season anemone style with pink tinged white petals and a golden yellow center
P. ‘Peppermint Stick’ is a ruffled variety with white, pink and red stripes.

Design Tips:

Large clumps of peonies can be used as an anchor in a border. They also pair especially well with the spiky leaves and flowers of iris.

Growing Tips:

Planting: Peonies are generally started from divisions or tubers. Plant peonies shallowly. They require a period of cold, in order to set eyes or flower buds on their roots. To be sure they get a chill, they should not be planted more than a few inches below the soil surface.

Maintenance: When in flower, peonies can easily become top heavy and will benefit from staking. You can find round, metal hoops that are actually called 'peony stakes', for this purpose, but you can just as easily fashion something yourself, with stakes and string. It's easier to stake peonies early in the season and allow them to grow into the stakes, rather than trying to corale them once they are grown.

Pests and Diseases

Peonies are susceptible to botrytis or gray mold. Early applications of fungicide and removal of infected leaves will help. Remove the peony foliage in fall, to prevent overwintering of botrytis spores