Illustration
Sarah Bernhardt
Paeonia 'Sarah Bernhardt'
Sarah Bernhardt blooms from May through June.
Months here are Northern Hemisphere months; in the Southern Hemisphere, shift them by six months.
Growing Sarah Bernhardt
Plant it in full sun. It prefers moderate water. It is hardy in USDA zones 3–8. Expect it to reach about 3 ft tall and 3 ft wide at maturity, in roughly 3 years (not yet checked).
What was checked
Mature height and spread, hardiness zones, sun and the trait tags were checked against named botanical sources for this plant. The bloom months and water need on this page were not, and each fact above says which. The planting, spacing and size sections are derived from these checked facts by a fixed rule, not checked separately, and the plant type is the library's own classification.
When to plant Sarah Bernhardt
Sarah Bernhardt is planted in fall: set bare roots out August or September across zones 3 to 8, well before the ground freezes. It blooms from May to June.
Month-by-month timing for your zone is on the planting calendar; if you garden near zone 5, the middle of this plant's hardy range, start with zone 5 in August. Derived from the plant's category, zones and bloom months plus typical zone frost dates, not checked separately.
How big does Sarah Bernhardt get?
3 fttall5 ft 7 inan adult3 ftwideSee Sarah Bernhardt in a garden plan: the planner shows it in 3D beside everything else you add, growing toward this size over the years.
How far apart to plant Sarah Bernhardt
Derived from the mature spread above by a fixed rule, not checked separately: spacing is the spread, center to center.
Space Sarah Bernhardt about 3 ft apart, center to center, so each plant has room to reach its full width.
Add Sarah Bernhardt to a garden plan and the planner draws it at its full width, so you see the spacing before you buy.
Where these facts come from
Sarah Bernhardt's height, spread, hardiness zones, sun and trait tags were checked against 12 published sources on August 1, 2026. Each one is linked below with every fact it carried, which can include a fact this page still marks as not yet checked, because a source carrying a value is not the same as the value being held to the standard. Facts not in that list, and the planting, spacing and size sections, are not covered by these sources.
- American Meadowsheight, spread, hardiness zones, sun, years to mature size and trait tags
- gertens.comGertensheight, spread, hardiness zones, sun, years to mature size and trait tags
- gurneys.comGurney's Seed & Nurseryheight, spread, hardiness zones, sun, years to mature size and trait tags
- Missouri Botanical GardenPlant Finderheight, spread, hardiness zones, sun, years to mature size and trait tags
- Nature Hills Nurseryheight, spread, hardiness zones, sun, years to mature size and trait tags
- NC State ExtensionPlant Toolboxheight, spread, hardiness zones, sun, years to mature size and trait tags
- Plant Addictsheight, spread, hardiness zones, sun and trait tags
- Breck'sheight, hardiness zones, sun and trait tags
- patuxentnursery.comPatuxent Nurseryheight, hardiness zones, sun and trait tags
- RHSRoyal Horticultural Societyheight, spread, sun and trait tags
- University of Illinois Extensionheight, hardiness zones, sun and years to mature size
- University of Wisconsin HorticultureUniversity of Wisconsin-Madison Division of Extension, Horticulturehardiness zones, sun and trait tags
How the checking works, and what each standard covers, is on the verified plants page.
Good to know about Sarah Bernhardt
Curated from university extensions, botanic gardens and other primary sources, with the source named on every note.
Safety
Mildly toxic to dogs, cats and horses: the compound paeonol causes vomiting, diarrhea and depression if eaten. Most cases are mild; call ASPCA Poison Control. per ASPCA
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Design a garden with this
Drop this plant onto a 3D plan, see how it fills in, and watch your whole garden bloom across the year.