Peony Plant Profile

There’s an extravagant luxury about peony flowers with their silky petals and sensational blooms in shades of red, burgundy, pink, orange, yellow or white. Ranging from delicate single flowers to full doubles, some of the largest border on being wonderfully vulgar. The peony family encompasses both herbaceous varieties and tree peonies originating from all round the world. Some have a provenance dating back centuries, whilst others are highly sought-after modern hybrids — the more highly bred, the trickier they tend to be to grow. However, peonies are long-lived, but according to an old adage, take their time to settle in: ‘Peonies first sleep, then creep and in their third year, they leap.’ The key lies in careful planting and feeding to ensure good health in later life.