20 Favourite Paeonia Types From Peony Society Members Around The World
Reviewed By COLIN SKELLY
Colin is a Horticulturist and Horticultural Consultant with experience in a range of practical and managerial roles across heritage, commercial and public horticulture. He holds the Royal Horticultural Society’s Master of Horticulture award and has a particular interest in horticultural ecology and naturalistic planting for habitat and climate resilience.
Contributions From KATE BLACKER
With 15 years of experience growing peony flowers, Kate is the Owner of the specialist nursery Little Budds Peony Farm. Kate specialises in the cut flower market and is known for her very large blooms.
The founder of The Peony Society, Koen is also the owner of a cut flower peony nursery based in Belgium. He hybridises and breeds his own peonies that are now recognised by the American Peony Society and by gardeners all over the world.
Not only is she the President of the Pacific Northwest Peony Society, but Carol is also the owner of her own plant nursery, Adelman Peony Gardens. Having been awarded ‘Best of Show’ at 9 of the last 15 American Peony Society shows, Carol has also had a book published about peonies.
IN THIS GUIDE
- Expert-Chosen Varieties
- 1) P. officinalis
- 2) P. emodi
- 3) P. ludlowii
- 4) P. mascula
- 5) P. tenuifolia
- 6) P. lactiflora ‘Sarah Bernhardt’
- 7) P. lactiflora ‘Alexander Fleming’
- 8) P. lactiflora ‘Duchesse de Nemours’
- 9) P. lactiflora ‘Candy Stripe’
- 10) P. lactiflora ‘Pink Hawaiian Coral’
- 11) P. lactiflora ‘Shirley Temple’
- 12) P. ‘Buckeye Belle’
- 13) P. lactiflora ‘Karl Rosenfield’
- 14) P. ‘Eden’s Perfume’
- 15) P. lactiflora ‘Sorbet’
- 16) P. × suffruticosa ‘Xue Ta’
- 17) P. × suffruticosa ‘Hai Huang’
- 18) P. × suffruticosa ‘Dao Jin’
- 19) P. × suffruticosa ‘Wu Jin Yao Hui’
- 20) P. × suffruticosa ‘Chu Wu’
- References
Peonies are renowned for their large, bowl-shaped flowers which frequently range from 15-20cm across.
Peonies are members of the Paeonia genus which comprises many species, some of which even serve as ornamentals.
However, it is the many hybridised cultivars that are prized for the garden.
Members of the Paeonia genus are deciduous perennials, being either herbaceous plants or woody shrubs that are in effect small trees.
Though most Peony species have a very brief flowering season, most cultivars bloom for several weeks while some start blooming in late spring and continue all through summer.
Though most varieties’ flowers are cup-shaped, some are saucer-shaped, flowers are divided into six types, including single forms, double forms, and unusual types such as Anemone and Japanese – which display crowns or petal-like embellishments in the centre.
Expert-Chosen Varieties
Before we share our preferred peonies, we asked our specialists to share some of their favourites.
“We have over 60 varieties, so every year I have a different favourite,” says Kate Blacker, the owner of the specialist nursery Little Budds Peony Farm.
“‘Red Charm’ has to be a favourite as it is the first to flower, but I also love the yellow flowering ‘Garden Treasure’ for its’ foliage and form.
“I also love ‘Jan Van Leeuwen’ for the copious amounts of flowers it produces and ‘Coral Sunset’ for the way it changes colour, from coral to yellow to white, as it opens and goes over.”
“I’m personally very fond of species peonies,” says Koen Hurtekant, the owner and creator of The Peony Society.
“There are around 30-40 different (sub)species and several of them offer interesting characteristics.”
Koen’s favourites include:
- P. cambessedesii (for its bluey-green leaflets and dark red underside)
- P. caucasica (for its early-flowering season)
- P. peregrina (for its late-flowering season)
“Contrary to most garden peonies, they will do best in some shade, as in nature, most of them grow at high altitudes in the mountains or in forest edges.”
“Most of the species also cannot take too much water, especially during summer, so they need extremely good drainage and will probably prefer soil which is on the drier side.”
“We mostly grow lutea hybrid woody peonies because the suffruticose peonies bloom while we are still in rain season and that ruins the enjoyment,” says Carol, the owner of Adelman Peony Gardens and president of the Pacific Northwest Peony Society.
Other woody varieties Carol loves include:
- ‘Ruffled Sunset’
- ‘Waucedah Princess’
- ‘Rosalind Elsie Franklin’
- ‘Leda’
For herbaceous peonies, Carol enjoys the varieties:
- ‘Old Faithful’
- ‘Coral Sunset’
- ‘Pastelegance’
- ‘Dresden Pink’
- ‘Raspberry Charm’
- ‘Angel Cheeks’
For intersectional types, she recommends:
- ‘Bartzella’
- ‘New Millennium’
- ‘First Arrival’
- ‘Sonoma Rosy Future’
- ‘Sonoma Halo’
“The list could go on and on!” says Carol.
“For many enthusiasts of particular plants, it might be the cultivars that get you interested, but the ones that capture your heart as you learn more are the species,” shares Master Horticulturist Colin Skelly.
“Perhaps because of the stories of where plants come from and their evolution as well as their often adventurous routes to introduction in the UK.”
So are you now in the market for a peony variety or two?
Here are my favourite peonies that you could grow in your garden today.
1) P. officinalis
- COMMON NAME(S): Common Peony
- HARDINESS RATING: H6
- FLOWERS: Pink / Purple
- SIZE: 0.5-1m in height, 0.5-1m spread
Growing to about 70cm, the Common Peony exhibits bright green compound leaves with elliptic sections.
In early summer it produces cup-shaped single-form flowers that are 12cm wide.
Mildly scented, they vary in hue from deep pink through scarlet to purplish red, centred with conspicuous yellow stamens.
2) P. emodi
- COMMON NAME(S): Himalayan Peony
- HARDINESS RATING: H6
- FLOWERS: White
- SIZE: 1-1.5m in height, 0.5-1m spread
Featuring lovely feathery compound leaves of a brilliant green hue, the Himalayan Peony grows to 1-1.5m.
“P. emodi has sideways-facing flowers and finely dissected leaflets, making it one of my favourites,” says Koen.
It blooms in late spring and summer, producing scented flowers which are salver-shaped and about 12cm across.
They are pure white and display a prominent disk of golden stamens.
This plant has been awarded the RHS Award of Garden Merit.
3) P. ludlowii
- COMMON NAME(S): Ludlow’s Tree Peony
- HARDINESS RATING: H6
- FLOWERS: Yellow
- SIZE: 1.5-2.5m in height, 1.5-2.5m spread
A giant among peonies, rising to 2.5-3m, Ludlow’s Tree is a very popular species.
It has attractive compound leaves of a light, bright green and a well-branched form.
In late spring it bears 12cm wide bowl-shaped flowers of a frilly, delicate appearance; their petals and prominent anthers in a matching tone of deep sulphur yellow.
4) P. mascula
- COMMON NAME(S): Wild Peony
- HARDINESS RATING: H6
- FLOWERS: Red and yellow
- SIZE: 0.5-1m in height, 0.5-1m spread
A herbaceous plant growing to 0.5-1m and displaying bright green compound leaves, Wild Peony, a European native, has a very brief flowering season over end-spring and early summer, but still produces seriously stunning blooms.
These single-form flowers are of a brilliant rose-red to purplish-red hue, centred with a bright yellow disk of stamens.
5) P. tenuifolia
- COMMON NAME(S): Fernleaf Peony
- HARDINESS RATING: H6
- FLOWERS: Red and yellow
- SIZE: 0.5-1m in height, 0.5-1m spread
Another herbaceous perennial, Fernleaf grows up to 50-60cm in height.
Its light green compound leaves are very fine and narrow and form feathery mounds.
“Some species’ peonies offer up interesting characteristics,” says Koen.
“I like P. tenuifolia because it has very fine-textured leaflets.”
The short flowering season from the end of spring to early summer brings forth single-form, bowl-shaped flowers of a riveting red hue with the conspicuous golden-yellow stamens serving as an accent.
6) P. lactiflora ‘Sarah Bernhardt’
- COMMON NAME(S): Peony ‘Sarah Bernhardt’
- HARDINESS RATING: H6
- FLOWERS: Pink
- SIZE: 0.5-1m in height, 0.5-1m spread
An heirloom variety with a height of up to 1m, ‘Sarah Bernhardt’ has retained its popularity for over a century and may just be the UK’s favourite peony.1Manley, J. (2016, April 30). The Casual Gardener: Pondering peony pleasure. The Irish News. Retrieved March 22, 2023, from https://www.irishnews.com/lifestyle/2016/04/30/news/the-casual-gardener-pondering-peony-pleasure-501770/
It has a deserved reputation for being floriferous and bears flowers in June and July.
They are fully double, about 18cm across and of a classic sweetheart-pink hue.
This variety has also won the RHS Award of Garden Merit.
7) P. lactiflora ‘Alexander Fleming’
- COMMON NAME(S): Peony ‘Doctor Alexander Fleming’
- HARDINESS RATING: H6
- FLOWERS: Pink
- SIZE: 0.5-1m in height, 0.5-1m spread
Doubling up on the heirloom varieties, ‘Alexander Fleming’ also dates from Edwardian times and it is popular in many European countries.2Paeonia: Dr. Alexander Fleming. (2019, June 3). My Peony Society. Retrieved March 22, 2023, from https://www.mypeonysociety.com/peonies/dr-alexander-fleming/#:~:text=Dr%20Alexander%20Fleming%20was%20bred,a%20Nobel%20Prize%20for%20it.
It rises up to 1m in height.
Floriferous and wonderfully fragrant, this variety blooms in May and June, producing 15cm double flowers of candy-pink to rose-pink hues.
8) P. lactiflora ‘Duchesse de Nemours’
- COMMON NAME(S): Peony ‘Duchesse de Nemours’
- HARDINESS RATING: H6
- FLOWERS: White
- SIZE: 0.5-1m in height, 0.5-1m spread
150 years old and still supremely popular, perhaps it is ‘Duchesse de Nemours’ that is the UK’s most celebrated Peony.
“‘Duchesse de Nemours’ is one of my favourite peony varieties because of her fragrance,” says Kate Blacker.
It grows to around 90cm in height and flowers in June and July.
The large sweetly-fragrant bowl-shaped double flowers are pure white and display cream or pinkish flushes near the centre.
It’s also won the RHS Award of Garden Merit.
9) P. lactiflora ‘Candy Stripe’
- COMMON NAME(S): Common Peony
- HARDINESS RATING: H6
- FLOWERS: Pink and white
- SIZE: 0.5-1m in height, 0.5-1m spread
Growing to about 90cm tall and producing marbled flowers, ‘Candy Stripe’ is rapidly gaining popularity, and for good reasons too.
It has a naturally neat habit and exhibits well-shaped, bright green leaves.
As for the flowers that it produces over May and June, they are marvellously fragrant and unique, being marbled and striped in white and pink tones, from baby pink to fuchsia.
10) P. lactiflora ‘Pink Hawaiian Coral’
- COMMON NAME(S): Peony ‘Pink Hawaiian Coral’
- HARDINESS RATING: H6
- FLOWERS: Pink / Orange
- SIZE: 0.5-1m in height, 0.5-1m spread
Growing up to around 1m in height and with its foliage forming a neat mound, ‘Pink Hawaiian Coral’ produces its 13cm flowers in May and June.
These scented, double-form flowers are bowl-shaped and their colour varies from a bright coral pink to a gentle creamy pink, often showing a yellow centre.
11) P. lactiflora ‘Shirley Temple’
- COMMON NAME(S): Peony ”Shirley Temple’
- HARDINESS RATING: H6
- FLOWERS: Pink
- SIZE: 0.5-1m in height, 0.5-1m spread
Growing to 80-90cm and forming a mound of deep green foliage, ‘Shirley Temple’ flowers for about two months between late spring and mid summer.
The fragrant, fully double flowers are huge at 18cm or more, yet they have a delicate, gauzy appearance which is accented by their hue: pink-white to pale pink turning white as the flower matures.
It has been awarded the RHS Award of Garden Merit.
12) P. ‘Buckeye Belle’
- COMMON NAME(S): Peony ‘Buckeye Belle’
- HARDINESS RATING: H6
- FLOWERS: Red
- SIZE: 0.5-1m in height, 0.5-1m spread
From America with love and one of Kate Blacker’s favourites, ‘Buckeye Belle’ is taking the UK by storm.
While its elliptic leaves are a brilliant saturated shade of green, the bowl-shaped semi-double flowers are an even more saturated shade of crimson-maroon and display conspicuous golden-yellow stamens.
The 15cm flowers appear in mid-spring and early summer.
It reaches a height of roughly 90cm.
13) P. lactiflora ‘Karl Rosenfield’
- COMMON NAME(S): Peony ‘Karl Rosenfield’
- HARDINESS RATING: H6
- FLOWERS: Red
- SIZE: 0.5-1m in height, 0.5-1m spread
Rising to 80cm with a similar spread and much in demand as a cut flower, ‘Karl Rosenfield’ displays elliptic leaves of a crisp green hue with its flowers in perfectly complementary colours varying from intense lipstick red to magenta red.
Blooming from the end of spring to early summer, these double-form flowers are 16-17cm across and display wonderfully ruffled petals.
14) P. ‘Eden’s Perfume’
- COMMON NAME(S): Peony ‘Eden’s Perfume’
- HARDINESS RATING: H6
- FLOWERS: Pink
- SIZE: 0.5-1m in height, 0.5-1m spread
A very aptly-named cultivar, ‘Eden’s Perfume’ blooms are famed for exuding a sweet, feminine, damask-rose-like fragrance.
The plant grows to about 90cm, displays brilliant green foliage, and produces flowers in May and June.
The flowers are huge at 17-18cm across and are of a delicate pink hue with random petals displaying yellowish-cream flushes.
15) P. lactiflora ‘Sorbet’
- COMMON NAME(S): Peony ‘Sorbet’
- HARDINESS RATING: H6
- FLOWERS: Pink and white
- SIZE: 0.5-1m in height, 0.5-1m spread
Reaching up to 1m in height with a similar spread, ‘Sorbet’ has elliptic leaves of a bright, intense green shade.
The fully double-form bowl-shaped flowers are 15-16cm wide and their frilly, ruffled petals vary in tone from pink-flushed to soft pink, sometimes showing tinges and flushes of cream.
The delightfully fragrant blooms appear from May to June.
16) P. × suffruticosa ‘Xue Ta’
- COMMON NAME(S): Tree Peony ‘Xue Ta’
- HARDINESS RATING: H5
- FLOWERS: Pink and white
- SIZE: 1.5-2.5m in height, 1.5-2.5m spread
‘Xue Ta’ produces flowers 22-25cm wide which have a wispy and ethereal quality.
These flowers are white, with many displaying faint pink tinges at the centre, and its petals are heavily frilled and ruffled.
17) P. × suffruticosa ‘Hai Huang’
- COMMON NAME(S): Tree Peony ‘Hai Huang’
- HARDINESS RATING: H5
- FLOWERS: Yellow
- SIZE: 1.5-2.5m in height, 1.5-2.5m spread
This cultivar bears flowers that can be more than 20cm wide and are gently scented.
They are double-formed with frilly, ruffled petals and display a light, bright tone of sunny yellow with an orange centre.
18) P. × suffruticosa ‘Dao Jin’
- COMMON NAME(S): Tree Peony ‘Dao Jin’
- HARDINESS RATING: H5
- FLOWERS: Pink and white
- SIZE: 1.5-2.5m in height, 1.5-2.5m spread
‘Dao Jin’ produces massive flowers that reach up to 25cm.
They are of semi-double form and are gently fragrant.
The ruffled petals are sectioned and striped in various tones of pink and white.
19) P. × suffruticosa ‘Wu Jin Yao Hui’
- COMMON NAME(S): Tree Peony ‘Wu Jin Yao Hui’
- HARDINESS RATING: H5
- FLOWERS: Red and purple
- SIZE: 1.5-2.5m in height, 1.5-2.5m spread
This variety displays very large ruffled flowers that are reminiscent of roses.
They are of double-form, exude a mild fragrance and are of an intense crimson-maroon hue that makes for a striking contrast with the foliage.
20) P. × suffruticosa ‘Chu Wu’
- COMMON NAME(S): Tree Peony ‘Chu Wu’
- HARDINESS RATING: H5
- FLOWERS: Black / purple
- SIZE: 1-2m in height, 1-2m spread
Possibly the most dramatic of all peonies, the massive 25cm flowers are of double-form.
The ruffled petals have a delicate velvety appearance but are of a rivetingly intense chocolate-maroon hue veering to near black.
