Paeonia officinalis

Probably one of my favorite flowers Peonies comes in a large variety. Paeonia officinalis is the common peony which is native to Switzerland and France and Italy. It is from the Paeoniaceae family but this particular Peony or Paeonia is a hybrid related to Paeonia peregrina and P. parnassica. It has beautiful dark pink flowers that are about 5 inches wide and the plant grows to about 30″ or 70cm, the leaves are bright green and divided into nine leaflets. Paeonia officinalis is a herbaceous perennial and considered a deciduous shrub. The flowers appear late spring and throughout summer, depending on the climate.

It is best to give Paeonia officinalis some shelter but with full or partial sun, so any south, east or west-facing location. They love moist but well-drained soil probably a combination of chalk, clay, loam, and sand, but rich humus-rich. You usually propagate Paeonies by division in autumn and spring. They don’t need much care, remove flowers after they are dead and prune back after the plant has died down in autumn.