10 Of The Prettiest Peony Varieties To Plant In Your Garden

Coral Charm

These herbaceous beauties get their name from their striking colour. Often used in wedding bouquets, Coral Charms are early bloomers (around June) and open to reveal a peach centre. They are referred to as a “semi-double peony” because of their multiple row of petals.

Festiva Maxima

The Festiva Maxima variety, also a herbaceous peony, bloom into large, pure-white, fragrant flowers with streaks of crimson in the centre.

Bartzella

Itoh peonies (also known as Intersectional Peonies) are a cross between herbaceous and tree varieties, and the only ones that come in yellow, like these beautiful Bartzellas. Plant them to lengthen the peony bloom time in your garden, as they blossom after herbaceous and tree varieties.

Julia Rose

Julia Rose peonies, also Itohs, go through many colour changes, from cherry red, to orange and apricot with purple edges, and finally to yellow. Their sturdy stems don’t require staking, and their scent is often described as “spicy.” Itoh varities tend to flower over a longer period of time and can have up to 50 blooms on one plant.

Immaculee

The lightly fragraant Immaculee is a single peony variety because it has just one row of overlapping petals.

Duchesse de Nemours

This double herbaceous white peony has a pretty light yellow base and multiple rows of petals for a full and fluffy look.

Nick Shaylor

This late-blooming herbaceous peony opens to a beautiful blush colour. It’s a nice complement in a bouquet filled with white peonies.

Kamata Nishiki

The Kamata Nishiki is a tree peony, which means it blooms earlier than herbaceous varities. Tree peonies produce huge, opulent flowers in a wide range of colours and shapes.

Krinkled White

This delicate-looking single peony has a one layer of petals that look like crinkled tissue paper.

Yoshino Gawa

This tree peony produces massive, pale pink blooms. They drop their leaves in autumn, but unlike herbaceious varieties, you don’t need to cut them down.

Sarah Nixon is an urban flower farmer and floral designer in Toronto. Since 2002 her flower company, My Luscious Backyard, has sustainably grown over 50 varieties of cut flowers in a micro-farm arising in many residential yards in Toronto’s downtown west side. 

Originally published June 2018; Updated May 2019.