Genus Paeonia (Peony)

Paeonia lactiflora 'Kansas' Photo/Illustration: Steve Aitken

pay-OH-nee-ah Common Name: Peony

Plants in the genus Paeonia are clump-forming perennials and deciduous shrubs or subshrubs grown for their large, colorful, and sometimes fragrant flowers. Blooms are usually upright and solitary, sometimes several to a stem. Use in mixed, herbaceous, or shrub borders. Herbaceous cultivars bloom in late spring and early summer. Tree peonies bloom in mid-spring and late spring.
Noteworthy characteristics: Peonies have a wide distribution in meadows, scrub, and rocky places of East Asia to Europe, and in western North America. They sometimes have showy, red- or black-seeded pod-like fruits. Flowers are saucer-, cup-, or bowl-shaped, varying widely in color and size (from 2 and up to 12 inches across), and can be single, semi-double, double, and Japanese. All parts are toxic.
Care: Deep, fertile, humus-rich, moist but well-drained soil. Full sun or part shade. Large cultivars may need support.
Propagation: Divide herbaceous cultivars in early autumn and replant, placing the new growths 2 inches below the surface; take root cuttings in winter. Take semi-ripe cuttings of tree peonies in summer or graft in winter.
Problems: Prone to ringspot virus, Verticillium wilt, Botrytis blight, tip blight, leaf blotch, stem rot, Japanese beetles, and nematodes.

Species, varieties and cultivars for genus Paeonia

Paeonia lactiflora
(Common garden peony) Be the first to rate this plant

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This stunning herbaceous woodland peony has upright red-mottled stems and dark green leaves that are elliptic or lance-shaped with rough margins. It bears usually solitary, single creamy white to pale pink blossoms that are cup-shaped and elegant. The blooms measure 3 to 4 inches across and have pale yellow stamens. Like all peonies, the flowers are with us for too short a time. They are followed by beautiful seedpods.

Paeonia obovata var. alba
(Japanese forest peony) Be the first to rate this plant

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This plant is a beautiful addition to the garden from early spring until autumn. Red shoots with a crystalline dusting emerge in early April, followed by 5-inch-long, egg-shaped leaves that mature to a dark, reddish green. Each 18-inch stem bears a 2-inch-wide, chalice-like, single pure-white flower with yellow anthers and purple filaments. Mature seedpods open to reveal metallic-blue pea-sized fertile seeds and holly-berry red unfertilized seeds.

Paeonia suffruticosa
(Tree peony) Be the first to rate this plant

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This upright, sparsely branched, woody shrub reaches 4 to 10 feet tall. It's easy to grow but slow-growing. It displays dark green leaves that are blue-green beneath, and large, silken blossoms 6 to 12 inches across in late spring and early summer. The plants maintain a graceful branching structure throughout the winter.

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