If you’re looking for a flower that will last for years and years? Peonies are the perfect flower for that. Peony plants are extremely long-lived, often thriving for generations, all the while producing abundant, full flowers with a lush fragrance.
First of all, they’re huge, brightly colored flowers that stand beautifully against their dense green foliage. They boast a heavenly fragrance. They’re extremely hardy, lasting through harsh winters and poorer soil. And, as I found out today, they give a “lifetime of delightful foliage and massive late-spring to early-summer blooms.” A lifetime. Delightful foliage and massive blooms. Again, how did I miss this? There are some still bright and beautiful in Asian temples that have been there for over a hundred years. And that’s before the hybridizers got their hands on them and made especially fantastic varieties for Breck’s.
Some of our favorite lifetime peonies are the following varieties:
This delightfully fragrant peony has fully double blossoms that are white with flecks of red on the tips.
Introduced in 1906, this beloved peony is also perhaps the best known. Rich rose-pink double flowers edged in lighter pink with a few petals showing crimson tips.
This incredible Itoh variety delivers extra-large, uniquely yellow blooms. Glossy, green foliage starts out copper-burgundy in the spring and provides interest throughout the season.
In a kaleidoscopic display, single to semi-double flowers open a cherry red before fading to orange and then later to yellow. Plants can show all three colours at the same time.
Don’t be disappointed, however, if your peonies fail to bloom the first year and have only a few blossoms the second season. It usually takes three years for a bush and Itoh peony to attain mature size. Add peony flowers to your sunny garden today.
