In My Garden

Philip Duly

One of the standout star plants of May and early June are Peonies. Unfortunately, some gardeners are put off growing these beautiful late spring plants for a variety of reasons which I believe should be overlooked. It is true that peonies can take a few years to properly establish themselves sufficiently to produce blooms. In the meantime, however we can admire their wonderful glossy foliage of green or red depending on the variety which acts as a useful backdrop to other herbaceous plants. Moreover, since they are generally taller than many of their surrounding neighbours, Peonies are almost worth growing just for their foliage which also provides delightful autumn colour interest later in the year.

Another reason for peony phobia is their reputation for a short flowering period. Yet this is equally true of other delicate plants including many rose varieties. The other most common reason for not planting peonies is their price. Again there is some truth to this but the same can be said of many of the most prized performance plants and it is my belief that peonies will produce a decent return on any initial investment for many years to come.

In my garden I planted the following four varieties last year, each of which have already produced abundant foliage with the promise of some blooms either this spring or next. My choices were the delicate flamingo pink Sarah Bernhardt, the equally beautiful pink and lemon Bowl of Beauty, raspberry coloured Felix Crousse and the aptly named Coral Charm. If you have the space and desire for a stunning burst of yellow in your May garden, I recommend the tree peony Bartzella that I was fortunate to inherit here and which is guaranteed to attract the envy of all your garden visitors!