5 pink-flowered peonies

Lactiflora peony 'Sarah Bernhardt'

No introduction needed for ‘Sarah Bernhardt’ the star of peonies. This great garden classic (introduced in 1906!) hasn’t aged a day and is still invited into borders for its excellent ornamental qualities. It displays its magnificent very double, quite dense flowers, in a pale silvery pink, very slightly salmon-tinged and a little brighter in the centre. The broad petals form a flower at least 16 to 20 cm in diameter. Ruffled, the ‘Sarah Bernhardt’ peony deserves a fine place in a border. It’s one of the peonies people will gladly cut to make cut flower arrangements, so generous is it! Like its counterparts, it needs well-drained, cool soil and a sufficiently sunny spot. It fits in everywhere: with other pink peonies such as ‘Bouquet Perfect’ with a stronger pink, or violet Alliums, or even some bluish campanulas.

♥ Its little extras: its pleasant fragrance and its slightly later flowering (late May–early June) to prolong the peony season in the garden.

The lactiflora peony 'Do Tell'

Renowned for its elegance, ‘Do Tell’ is an exceptional herbaceous peony, bearing pale pink flowers and a centre of fine petaloids in brighter pink, ivory and yellow. It is described as a Japanese-form peony, i.e. with single, enormous anemone-shaped flowers, about 17–18 cm in diameter.
Flowering takes place in May, rather late in the month. ‘Do Tell’ grows to around 90 cm in height, providing a very attractive presence in a border. Plant it in sun or partial shade, in deep, well-drained soil. Like the other peonies in this selection, ‘Do Tell’ is very hardy down to -29°C. It is wonderful planted alone, but you can also plant it near a few bearded irises, as elegant as it is, such as the Iris ‘Dating A Royal’.

♥ Its little extra: profuse flowering and foliage that sometimes turns colour in autumn.

Paeonia lactiflora ‘Do Tell’ (@ FD Richards)

The peony x Itoth 'Old Rose Dandy'

Itoh peonies are the result of a hybridization between an herbaceous peony and a tree peony. This cross-breeding makes them easier to grow than tree peonies, gives them good robustness, a novel range of colours, and eliminates the need for staking.
The peony ‘Old Rose Dandy’ produces magnificent single to semi-double flowers, 15 cm in diameter, a salmon-pink with apricot highlights, shaded with purple. A wine-red macule appears when the flower is fully open, providing a lovely contrast to the very soft hues of the petals. The stamens are yellow. It grows to 80 cm in height with a similar spread in good growing conditions, and blooms in early May. Its foliage is very deeply divided, like that of classic peonies. Always be patient with peonies, including Itoh types, which bloom generously after 3 to 4 years of cultivation: they will repay you a hundredfold! This type of peony behaves like Paeonia lactiflora (herbaceous peonies), dying back in winter to reappear in spring.
As with other peonies, it needs rich, fresh soil, regular annual applications of compost, and a sunny to partly sunny position.

♥ Its little extra: its old-rose colour and its delicate fragrance.

Paeonia x Itoh  ‘Old Rose Dandy’ (© FD Richards)

The lactiflora peony 'Neon'

Here is another herbaceous peony, of the Japanese type. The Paeonia lactiflora ‘Neon’ charms with its absolutely dazzling hues. The flower is formed of a beautiful semi-double corolla (about 15 cm in diameter), slightly undulating. The colour, very alluring, is a glossy candy-pink heightened at its centre by a dense pompom composed of stamens, petals and slender staminodia, curly, in shades of red and gold: a splendour! About 90 cm tall, holding itself erect without the need for staking, the peony ‘Neon’ is truly floriferous and very vigorous. With its sturdy stems, it is perfect for creating exquisite cut flower arrangements. ‘Neon’ is a hybrid from the 1940s, flowering in the heart of the peony season, in May.

Beautiful planted alone to enjoy its unique beauty, you can also include it in a rose-dominant border, with paler or salmon-toned English-style roses, such as the David Austin rose ‘Eglantyne’.

♥ Its little extra: a spectacular pink.

Paeonia lactiflora ‘Neon’ (© Wikimedia Commons)

The Paeonia lactiflora 'Bowl of Beauty'

The Peony ‘Bowl of Beauty’ is another Chinese peony with pink blooms that every enthusiast should have in their garden! Bred in the 1950s, it offers a very interesting bicolour effect: large, semi-double, bowl-shaped flowers in soft pink, whose ruffled centre forms a large ball of cream to pale yellow. The whole fades in colour as the flowering progresses. Its foliage is a lovely light green. This peony will flower in most regions between mid-May and late May, making it one of the garden’s focal points during the height of peony season. ‘Bowl of Beauty’ forms a handsome clump 80 to 90 cm high, with an equal spread after a few years. Plant it with mauve or white hardy geraniums at its base.

♥ Its little extra: its late flowering.

Paeonia lactiflora ‘Bowl of Beauty’