Paeonies

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 'Bartzella' is an exquisitely composed peony, bringing a quietly luxurious air to the late-spring and early-summer border. Its lemon-yellow flowers, gently warmed with a soft red-pink flare at the centre, sit above handsome, mid to dark green foliage with a pleasingly shrubby, clump-forming habit.

Long-lived and dependable once settled, this fully hardy perennial makes a refined partner for roses, nepeta and early summer perennials, and is particularly fine for cutting—fresh stems lending a considered elegance to the house.

• Colour: Lemon-yellow with soft red/pink flare
• Habit: Clump-forming, bushy
• Best for: Borders and cutting gardens

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

Paeonia 'Red Sarah Bernhardt' is a handsome, traditional peony with indulgently full, double blooms in rich deep pink-red tones. It brings a wonderfully composed grandeur to the border, with lush mid-green foliage and a generous, clump-forming habit that looks elegant from spring onwards.

Planted in autumn as a bare root, this perennial settles in quietly and rewards patience—taking a couple of seasons to reach its best. In May through July, the flowers are superb for cutting: generous, romantic heads that sit beautifully in a vase and lend a classic note to arrangements.

• Ideal for: borders and the cutting garden
• Flowering: May–July
• Height: 80–100cm (with a spread of 60–90cm)
• Position: sheltered; full sun or partial sun
• Soil: moist but well-drained loam; any pH
• Hardiness: fully hardy

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

Paeonia 'Bartzella' is an exquisitely composed peony, bringing a quietly luxurious air to the late-spring and early-summer border. Its lemon-yellow flowers, gently warmed with a soft red-pink flare at the centre, sit above handsome, mid to dark green foliage with a pleasingly shrubby, clump-forming habit.

Long-lived and dependable once settled, this fully hardy perennial makes a refined partner for roses, nepeta and early summer perennials, and is particularly fine for cutting—fresh stems lending a considered elegance to the house.

• Colour: Lemon-yellow with soft red/pink flare
• Habit: Clump-forming, bushy
• Best for: Borders and cutting gardens

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 '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 'Red Sarah Bernhardt' is a handsome, traditional peony with indulgently full, double blooms in rich deep pink-red tones. It brings a wonderfully composed grandeur to the border, with lush mid-green foliage and a generous, clump-forming habit that looks elegant from spring onwards.

Planted in autumn as a bare root, this perennial settles in quietly and rewards patience—taking a couple of seasons to reach its best. In May through July, the flowers are superb for cutting: generous, romantic heads that sit beautifully in a vase and lend a classic note to arrangements.

• Ideal for: borders and the cutting garden
• Flowering: May–July
• Height: 80–100cm (with a spread of 60–90cm)
• Position: sheltered; full sun or partial sun
• Soil: moist but well-drained loam; any pH
• Hardiness: fully hardy