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Paeonia lactiflora Butter Bowl

Paeonia x lactiflora Butter Bowl
Chinese Peony, Common Garden Peony

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Variety with Japanese-type flowers, soft pink around a crumpled butter-yellow heart. With fairly sturdy stems, it produces excellent cut flowers and gently and softly enlivens borders. Secondary buds on the stems extend the flowering period. Provide it with deep, fertile, well-drained, moist soil and a sunny position.
Flower size
14 cm
Height at maturity
80 cm
Spread at maturity
70 cm
Exposure
Sun, Partial shade
Hardiness
Hardy down to -29°C
Soil moisture
Moist soil
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Best planting time October to November
Recommended planting time February to April, September to November
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Flowering time May to June
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Description

Paeonia lactiflora ‘Butter Bowl’ is a herbaceous peony recognisable by its Japanese-type flowers in candy pink, wide open around a butter-yellow pompom centre. Its habit is regular, its colouring rare, and its mid-season flowering is impressive without being garish. It is a precious variety for well-kept borders, romantic scenes and flower arrangements.

This variety belongs to the Paeoniaceae family. It is a descendant of Paeonia lactiflora, the herbaceous Chinese peony, a large, deciduous perennial species that has given rise to countless garden cultivars. This plant grows in northern, central and north-eastern China, in Mongolia and in the Russian Far East.

'Butter Bowl' is an American horticultural cultivar, attributed to R. Rosefield, sometimes spelt Rosenfield in early sources, and introduced in 1955. It belongs to the Lactiflora horticultural group. The plant forms an upright, vigorous clump, reaching 75 to 90cm in height and 60 to 75cm in width. Its deciduous, divided, bright green to dark green foliage disappears in winter before regrowing from the ground in spring. The firm stems carry the flowers well above the foliage. Flowering occurs in May-June, earlier or later depending on the region. The flowers measure 14 to 15cm in diameter. They have an outer corolla of soft pink to shell pink, which fades as it ages, and a dense heart of narrow, crumpled petaloids in a warm light yellow like fresh butter. This contrast gives the flower a style that is both sophisticated and light. Side buds are present on the stems; they open after the terminal flower.
In China, the wild species has been cultivated for centuries; its root also holds a place in traditional uses; this peony is a garden flower, but it is also a plant deeply linked to the horticultural and medicinal history of East Asia.

Plant the herbaceous peony ‘Butter Bowl’ in a sunny border, in a position where you can appreciate the detail of its flower up close. Its soft pink and butter-yellow tones pair very well with white, soft blues, lavender and cream colours. It can be paired with lupin ‘Noble Maiden’, Campanula lactiflora ‘Prichard’s Variety’, meadow sage 'Rose Rhapsody' or Lychnis viscaria 'Plena'.

Our secret for cut flower arrangements: cut your peonies at daybreak when the buds start to colour. Do not delay putting them in water.

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Peonies: planting, pruning and care
Family sheet
by Eva 15 min.
Peonies: planting, pruning and care
Read article

Flowering

Flower colour two-tone
Flowering time May to June
Flower size 14 cm
Good for cut flowers Cut flower blooms

Foliage

Foliage persistence Deciduous
Foliage colour green

Plant habit

Height at maturity 80 cm
Spread at maturity 70 cm
Growth rate slow

Botanical data

Genus

Paeonia

Species

x lactiflora

Cultivar

Butter Bowl

Family

Paeoniaceae

Other common names

Chinese Peony, Common Garden Peony

Botanical synonyms

Paeonia lactiflora 'Rosenfield'

Origin

Cultivar or hybrid

Product reference25944

Planting and care

The best time to plant 'Butter Bowl' peonies is in autumn. Plant peonies in full sun or bright light, spacing them 60cm apart. They need at least 6 hours of direct sunlight per day. These plants appreciate cold winters, which favour dormancy and flower formation. The soil should be loose, deep, fertile, and moist without being waterlogged. They need space and dislike competition from other species. Prepare a hole 50cm deep and mix an organic fertiliser with your soil, partially refill it, place your plants, and cover with 6cm of soil above the buds. After planting, firm down and water thoroughly. 

Planting period

Best planting time October to November
Recommended planting time February to April, September to November

Intended location

Suitable for Meadow, Woodland edge
Type of use Border, Edge of border, Cut flowers
Hardiness Hardy down to -29°C (USDA zone 5) Show map
Ease of cultivation Amateur
Planting density 1 per m2
Exposure Sun, Partial shade
Soil pH Neutral, Calcareous
Soil type Silty-loamy (rich and light)
Soil moisture Moist soil, deep, well-loosened

Care

Pruning No pruning necessary
Disease resistance Good
Overwinter Can be left in the ground

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