Top Picks: 23 Perfect Peonies (2024)

Add romance to your garden or landscape with peonies. Here are some of our favorite varieties.

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Big Ben

This gorgeous and easy-growing heirloom selection from 1943 offers very large, rose-red blooms.

Name: Paeonia 'Big Ben'

Bloom Time: Early season

Growing Conditions: Full sun and well-drained soil

Size: To 48 inches tall

Zones: 3-7

Native to North America: No

Why We Love It: The fragrance is outstanding and the plant has wonderful vigor, performing well in the garden each year.

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Bowl of Beauty

A cheery heirloom selection from the 1940s, 'Bowl of Beauty' offers a cup of pink petals surrounding a creamy center.

Name: Paeonia 'Bowl of Beauty'

Bloom Time: Early season

Growing Conditions: Full sun and well-drained soil

Size: To 26 inches tall

Zones: 3-7

Native to North America: No

Why We Love It: Its charming form and colors absolutely sing spring.

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Blaze

A reliable performer with bright red blooms, 'Blaze' offers 6-inch flowers that are perfect for cutting.

Name: Paeonia 'Blaze'

Bloom Time: Early season

Growing Conditions: Full sun and well-drained soil

Size: 26 inches tall

Zones: 3-8

Native to North America: No

Why We Love It: The bright color stands out in the garden. And it's better adapted to mild-winter areas than many other peonies.

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Festiva Maxima

A classic variety, this peony features large white blooms with flicks of crimson-red. It's an heirloom variety from the 1850s that's still extremely popular today.

Name: Paeonia 'Festiva Maxima'

Bloom Time: Early season

Growing Conditions: Full sun and well-drained soil

Size: 36 inches tall

Zones: 3-7

Native to North America: No

Why We Love It: Its pure white blooms shimmer in the garden. It's also a good cut-flower variety.

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Fern-Leaf Peony

This beautiful plant offers gorgeous, dark green ferny foliage and rich red double flowers.

Name: Paeonia tenuifolia

Bloom Time: Early season

Growing Conditions: Full sun and well-drained soil

Size: To 28 inches tall

Zones: 3-7

Native to North America: No

Why We Love It: The delicate foliage looks great even when the plant isn't in bloom.

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America

A bold, award-winning variety from 1976, 'America' offers single, scarlet-red flowers.

Name: Paeonia 'America'

Bloom Time: Early to midseason

Growing Conditions: Full sun and well-drained soil

Coral Supreme

Coral-colored peonies seem to be all the rage these days and 'Coral Supreme' is one of the best.

Name: Paeonia 'Coral Supreme'

Bloom Time: Early to midseason

Growing Conditions: Full sun and well-drained soil

Size: 36 inches tall

Zones: 3-7

Native to North America: No

Why We Love It: The semi-double flowers are a rich, unique color. The strong stems hold up well to the weather.

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Sweet Marjorie

One of the new breed of cactus-style peonies, 'Sweet Marjorie' offers pink blooms that are cut and twisted.

Name: Paeonia 'Sweet Marjorie'

Bloom Time: Early to midseason

Growing Conditions: Full sun and well-drained soil

Size: To 32 inches tall

Zones: 3-7

Native to North America: No

Why We Love It: It's one of the most eye-catching and dramatic peonies available.

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Green Halo

There are a few newer peonies that look rather un-peony-like. 'Green Halo' is one -- it bears white petals rising out of a nest of green.

Name: Paeonia 'Green Halo'

Growing Conditions: Full sun and well-drained soil

Bloom Time: Early to midseason

Size: To 30 inches tall

Zones: 3-7

Native to North America: No

Why We Love It: It's unique and will definitely stand out in the garden.

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Gay Paree

An eye-catching variety from the 1930s, 'Gay Paree' offers a pink-blushed, ivory-white center boldly surrounded by raspberry-pink petals.

Name: Paeonia 'Gay Paree'

Bloom Time: Midseason

Growing Conditions: Full sun and well-drained soil

Size: 34 inches tall

Zones: 3-7

Native to North America: No

Why We Love It: The bright blooms stand out in the garden or in bouquets because of their bold color combination. The strong stems help the flowers hold up well.

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Bartzella

A newer peony from the 1980s, 'Bartzella' offers rich, golden-yellow blooms.

Name: Paeonia 'Bartzella'

Bloom Time: Midseason

Growing Conditions: Full sun and well-drained soil

Size: To 40 inches tall

Zones:3-7

Native to North America: No

Why We Love It: Golden-yellow peonies are as rare as they are beautiful.

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Krinkled White

A classic, 'Krinkled White' is from the 1920s but is still popular today thanks to its pure white petals and sunny yellow center.

Paula Fay

A vigorous variety with semi-double reddish-pink blooms, award-winning 'Paula Fay' was released in the 1960s and is now a garden classic.

Name: Paeonia 'Paula Fay'

Bloom Time: Midseason

Growing Conditions: Full sun and well-drained soil

Size: To 35 inches tall

Zones: 3-7

Native to North America: No

Why We Love It: It's tough to beat the brilliant color of the blooms and reliable nature of this selection.

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Do Tell

'Do Tell' is an award-winning unique peony from the 1940s known both for its Japanese form (wide petals with a mass of finer petaloids in the center) and pink color blend.

Name: Paeonia 'Do Tell'

Bloom Time: Midseason

Growing Conditions: Full sun and well-drained soil

Size: 36 inches tall

Zones: 3-7

Native to North America: No

Why We Love It: It's beautifully fragrant and offers a striking color combination in the garden.

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Burning Bright

This cute pinkish-red peony from the 1940s offers lush single blooms with a cheery yellow center.

Name: Paeonia 'Burning Bright'

Bloom Time: Midseason

Growing Conditions: Full sun and well-drained soil

Size: To 34 inches tall

Zones: 3-7

Native to North America: No

Why We Love It: The bright color adds an extra dose of color to the garden.

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Spider Green

A relatively new peony, 'Spider Green' is unusual for its twisty lime-flushed white petals.

Name: Paeonia 'Spider Green'

Bloom Time: Midseason

Growing Conditions: Full sun and well-drained soil

Size: To 26 inches tall

Zones: 3-7

Native to North America: No

Why We Love It: The flowers are intricate and interesting, and the stems are strong so the blooms hold up well to weather and as a cut flower.

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Raspberry Sundae

It looks good enough to eat! 'Raspberry Sundae' was bred in the 1960s and bears beautiful creamy-pink blooms.

Name: Paeonia 'Raspberry Sundae'

Bloom Time: Midseason

Growing Conditions: Full sun and well-drained soil

Size: 36 inches tall

Zones: 3-7

Native to North America: No

Why We Love It: The flower form is unique with a rounded cluster of petals exploding from a cup of paler-pink petals.

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Coral Charm

This award-winning, beautiful semi-double peony offers rich, coral-color blooms. It was bred in the 1960s and is still very popular today.

Name: Paeonia 'Coral Charm'

Bloom Time: Midseason

Growing Conditions: Full sun and well-drained soil

Size: To 40 inches tall

Zones: 3-7

Native to North America: No

Why We Love It: The unique salmon-color blooms really stand out against other peonies.

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Prairie Moon

An unusual peony bred in the 1950s, 'Prairie Moon' bears semi-double, soft ivory-yellow flowers.

Name: Paeonia 'Prairie Moon'

Bloom Time: Midseason

Growing Conditions: Full sun and well-drained soil

Size: To 38 inches tall

Zones: 3-7

Native to North America: No

Why We Love It: The color is beautiful and it has a wonderful soft scent.

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Pillow Talk

With its large, double pink blooms, it's no wonder this gorgeous variety won a top award from the American Peony Society.

Name: Paeonia 'Pillow Talk'

Bloom Time: Mid- to late season

Growing Conditions: Full sun and well-drained soil

Size: 32 inches tall

Zones: 3-7

Native to North America: No

Why We Love It: The large pink blooms are slightly bicolored and beautifully fragrant. Its strong stems also make it a good cut flower.

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Better Times

A classic from the 1940s, 'Better Times' offers bright pink blooms on tall stems.

Name: Paeonia 'Better Times'

Bloom Time: Mid- to late season

Growing Conditions: Full sun and well-drained soil

Size: To 38 inches tall

Zones:3-7

Native to North America: No

Why We Love It: The plant is very showy and it's an especially good cut-flower variety.

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Karl Rosenfield

A beautiful heirloom from the early 1900s, 'Karl Rosenfield' bears double red blooms.

Name: Paeonia 'Karl Rosenfield'

Bloom Time: Mid- to late season

Growing Conditions: Full sun and well-drained soil

Size: To 32 inches tall

Zones:3-7

Native to North America: No

Why We Love It: The blooms are a great color, nicely fragrant, and excellent for cutting.

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Sarah Bernhardt

An old-fashioned heirloom from the early 1900s, we think 'Sarah Bernhardt' is still one of the loveliest peonies there is.

Name: Paeonia 'Sarah Bernhardt'

Bloom Time: Late season

Growing Conditions: Full sun and well-drained soil

Size: 36 inches tall

Zones: 3-7

Native to North America: No

Why We Love It: The flowers are a gorgeous shade of soft pink and filled with a rich, sweet fragrance.