Peonies

Garden Clippings for May 23, 2026

Everybody’s grandmother grew Peonies. Monster flowers, up to 20 cm across, are multi-petalled and available in many colours.

Peonies’ bold blooms appear in late spring to early summer. Even after flowers fade, Peonies remain a handsome plant, with heavily textured leaves that stand proud in the mixed perennial garden.

The reason why everyone’s grandmother grew peonies is that they live forever. While most perennials like to be split and/or moved every few years, Peonies prefer to be left alone. They truly can be passed on from generation to generation.

Peonies will grow in full sun or partial shade, but the best performing Peonies are grown in the hot sun. Give them rich, well-drained soil and they will thrive. Peonies do not enjoy waterlogged soil.

If Peonies refuse to bloom, it is because they are planted too deep, an easily made mistake. Gardeners who have peonies that will not bloom should wait till fall and raise the roots so they are covered with only a thin layer of soil or mulch.

All Peonies behave like the rest of the perennials in the garden and remain upright until the first hard frost. Like Hostas, Peony leaves can be cleaned up in late fall or allowed to remain on the soil and easily raked up in spring. Peonies rarely have pest or disease issues.

Tree Peonies are a hard-to-find shrub producing a woody stem that can grow breast-height, producing larger flowers that are short-lived. I have a Tree Peony at the door of the shed, and it stubbornly refuses to grow upright, choosing instead to lie on the ground.

Itoh Peonies (sometimes called Intersectional Peonies) are a hybrid of both regular and Tree Peonies. These Peonies produce up to 50 blooms on strong stems that don’t require support.

Traditional Peony blooms have a habit of falling over due to their flowers’ weight and size, particularly after a rainstorm. In my garden, I am not bothered by their floppy stems, but for those who are fussy, metal peony rings can be used to keep the flowers upright.

When designing gardens, I am usually a fan of mass plantings to achieve maximum effect. Not so with Peonies, where, due to their bold texture, I recommend planting in singles.

Peony varieties are too plentiful for me to pick a favorite. I tend to favor lighter coloured bloomers that contrast nicely against their darker leaves.

In the Itoh group, Scrumdiddlyumptios’ has massive blooms in yellow blushed with pink. ‘Bartzella’ has sulfur-yellow long-lasting blooms that make great cut flowers. ‘Lemon Dream’ is softer yellow with fragrant blooms.

Peony ‘Sarah Bernhart’ is a favorite heirloom variety that Grandma likely had in her garden. Large flowers are delightfully fragrant, in soft pink. ‘Charles White’ has lacy-white blooms borne on sturdy stems. Peony ‘Sea Shell’ in deep pink is a favorite amongst collectors.

The myth claiming that peonies require ants for their flower buds to open is indeed a myth. Yes, ants may crawl up the stems and feed off the sugary nectar at the base of the buds, but peonies will flower with or without the help of ants.