Common Garden Peony (Paeonia lactiflora)

Common Garden Peony

Paeonia lactiflora is a stunning herbaceous peony with upright red‑mottled stems and dark green, elliptic to lance‑shaped leaves. It bears usually solitary, cup‑shaped creamy white to pale pink blossoms 3–4 inches across with pale yellow stamens. Like all peonies, the flowers are fleeting but followed by beautiful seedpods. Very long‑lived.

Key Features

• Classic, fragrant, showy flowers in white to pink.
• Long‑lived perennial; improves with age.
• Attractive seedpods after bloom.

Growing Conditions

Deep, fertile, humus‑rich, moist but well‑drained soil in full sun or part shade. Large cultivars may need support.

Care & Propagation

Divide in early autumn, planting new growths 2 inches deep; take root cuttings in winter. Problems: ringspot virus, Verticillium wilt, Botrytis blight, tip blight, leaf blotch, stem rot, Japanese beetles, nematodes.

Landscape Uses

Mixed, herbaceous, or shrub borders; cottage garden; cut flowers.

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