Fragrant Peonies

Paeonia lactiflora 'Sarah Bernhardt' is the sort of herbaceous peony that never goes out of fashion. From late spring into early summer, it produces generously double, rose-pink blooms with a gentle fragrance—sumptuous in the border, and utterly proper in a vase.

Plant bare roots in autumn and allow this clump-forming perennial time to settle; it rewards patience with increasingly impressive flowering over the years. Best in a sheltered spot with deep, fertile, humus-rich soil that holds moisture without becoming waterlogged.

• Flower: Double, rose pink, lightly fragrant
• Season of interest: May–June
• For: Borders, cottage gardens, cutting gardens; charming beneath roses and shrubs
• Position: Full sun to partial sun, sheltered

Paeonia 'Coral Sunset' is a beautifully mannered herbaceous peony, prized for its scented, semi-double blooms and effortlessly sophisticated colouring. The flowers open in a poised coral-pink, then mellow with age to softer, creamy tones—an elegant transition that brings a flattering light to late spring and early summer borders.

With deep green foliage and a neat, clump-forming habit, it settles into the garden with quiet assurance and becomes more impressive with each passing season. Plant in a sheltered spot with fertile, humus-rich soil and allow it the time it deserves—peonies are wonderfully long-lived once established.

• Fragrant, semi-double flowers with a refined colour shift from coral-pink to cream
• Fully hardy and well-suited to UK gardens
• Excellent for borders in cottage and courtyard settings
• Pollinator friendly when in bloom

Paeonia lactiflora ‘Duchesse de Nemours’ is an enduring favourite: a herbaceous peony of great poise, producing sumptuous, fully double white blooms with the faintest greenish nuance and a refined perfume. In early summer the flowers rise above handsome, deeply divided dark-green foliage, bringing quiet luxury to borders and cutting gardens alike.

Once established, it settles into a long-lived clump and becomes more generous with each passing season. Particularly lovely when threaded through roses and shrubs, where its sculptural flowers feel perfectly at home.

• Flowering: May–June
• Height: 80cm
• Spread: 50–100cm
• Position: Sheltered
• Supplied as: Bare root