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Peony
Paeonia
Peony blooms from May through June.
Months here are Northern Hemisphere months; in the Southern Hemisphere, shift them by six months.
Growing Peony
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 (a house reading).
Is Peony toxic to dogs or cats?
- Listed as toxic to dogs and cats by NC State Extension, Pet Poison Helpline and Royal Horticultural Society.
Lists differ and none is complete. If a pet eats a plant and seems unwell, call a veterinarian or a pet poison helpline.
What was checked
Nine facts were checked against named botanical sources, each recorded beside the sources that carried it: mature height and spread, hardiness zones, sun, water, bloom months and color, the trait tags, and years to mature size, which rests on a recorded house rule where no publisher states one and is marked so. Soil, diseases, pests, toxicity and the plant's own names have not yet been read for this plant, and its trait tags are the ones a feature uses rather than every word a page prints. Each fact above carries its own mark. 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 Peony
Peony 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 Peony get?
3 fttall5 ft 7 inan adult3 ftwideSee Peony 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 Peony
Derived from the mature spread above by a fixed rule, not checked separately: spacing is the spread, center to center.
Space Peony about 3 ft apart, center to center, so each plant has room to reach its full width.
Add Peony 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
Peony's height, spread, hardiness zones, sun, water, bloom months and color and trait tags were checked against 7 published sources on October 29, 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.
- Iowa State University Extensionand Outreachheight, spread, hardiness zones, sun, water, bloom months and color and trait tags
- NC State ExtensionPlant Toolboxheight, spread, hardiness zones, sun, water, bloom months and color and trait tags
- Chicago Botanic Gardenheight, spread, sun, bloom months and color and trait tags
- University of Wisconsin HorticultureUniversity of Wisconsin-Madison Division of Extension Horticulturehardiness zones, sun, water and trait tags
- extension.missouri.eduUniversity of Missouri Extension (G6650, Selecting Landscape Plants: H...height and sun
- RHSRoyal Horticultural Societybloom months and color
- University of Minnesota Extensionhardiness zones
How the checking works, and what each standard covers, is on the verified plants page.
Comes in 15 varieties across 5 colors
Same genus, similar care - pick the color you are growing.
Every plant in the group blooms from May through June.
- Bartzella
- Bowl of Beauty
- Coral Charm
- Coral Sunset
- Do Tell
- Duchesse de Nemours
- Festiva Maxima
- Gardenia
- Kansas
- Karl Rosenfield
- Monsieur Jules Elie
- Pink Hawaiian Coral
- Red Charm
- Sarah Bernhardt
- Shirley Temple
Compare every variety in the Peonies group
Every figure is the variety's own page fact. Tap a name to open it.
| Variety | Color | Blooms | Hardiness | Sun | Size (H × W) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bartzella | Yellow | May–Jun | Zones 4–8 | Full sun | 2.5 ft × 3.5 ft |
| Bowl of Beauty | Pink | May–Jun | Zones 3–8 | Full sun | 3 ft × 3 ft |
| Coral Charm | Orange | May–Jun | Zones 3–8 | Full sun | 3.5 ft × 3 ft |
| Coral Sunset | Orange | May–Jun | Zones 3–8 | Full sun | 3 ft × 3 ft |
| Do Tell | Pink | May–Jun | Zones 3–8 | Full sun | 3 ft × 3 ft |
| Duchesse de Nemours | White | May–Jun | Zones 3–8 | Full sun | 3 ft × 3 ft |
| Festiva Maxima | White | May–Jun | Zones 3–8 | Full sun | 3 ft × 3 ft |
| Gardenia | White | May–Jun | Zones 3–8 | Full sun | 3 ft × 3 ft |
| Kansas | Red | May–Jun | Zones 3–8 | Full sun | 3 ft × 3 ft |
| Karl Rosenfield | Red | May–Jun | Zones 3–8 | Full sun | 3 ft × 3 ft |
| Monsieur Jules Elie | Pink | May–Jun | Zones 3–8 | Full sun | 3 ft × 3 ft |
| Peonythis page | Pink | May–Jun | Zones 3–8 | Full sun | 3 ft × 3 ft |
| Pink Hawaiian Coral | Pink | May–Jun | Zones 3–8 | Full sun | 3 ft × 3 ft |
| Red Charm | Red | May–Jun | Zones 3–8 | Full sun | 3 ft × 3 ft |
| Sarah Bernhardt | Pink | May–Jun | Zones 3–8 | Full sun | 3 ft × 3 ft |
| Shirley Temple | Pink | May–Jun | Zones 3–8 | Full sun | 3 ft × 3 ft |
Good to know about Peony
Curated from university extensions, botanic gardens and other primary sources, with the source named on every note. A note reports what its source says; where that differs from a fact above, the fact above is this entry's stored value, and its mark says whether it has been checked.
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
Worth knowing
A myth says peonies need ants to open. The ants only come for sugary nectar the buds secrete; cut buds open fine with no ants. per University of Illinois
How much sun to give
Sources split on sun. Full sun (6 to 8 hours) gives best bloom, but it still flowers on 4 to 6. Heavier shade risks no blooms. per Wisconsin and Iowa State
Plant the eyes shallow
Set the buds only 2.5 to 5 cm (1 to 2 in) deep. Planting too deep is the top reason a healthy peony grows leaves but never flowers. per Iowa State
Long-lived; hates being moved
Peonies thrive undisturbed for decades and resent division. A moved or divided plant barely blooms the next spring and takes 2 to 3 years to recover. per Iowa State
Double flowers need support
The big double and triple blooms outweigh their stems and flop, especially in rain. Set grow-through grids, hoops or stakes as the shoots emerge in spring. per NC State and Iowa State
Deer resistant
NC State rates peonies as shunned by deer. Very hungry deer may still sample them, but they are reliably passed over. per NC State
What pairs well with Peony
Good companions share its growing conditions and add something it lacks: an earlier or later bloom, a lower carpet in front, or structure through winter.
Spotted Joe Pye Weed
Shares full sun and moderate water; blooms in midsummer as this one finishes; both are strong pollinator plants, and they feed in different months; its seed heads stand through winter, for structure and the birds.
Brown-Eyed Susan
Shares full sun and moderate water; blooms in midsummer as this one finishes; both are strong pollinator plants, and they feed in different months; its seed heads stand through winter, for structure and the birds.
Sneezeweed
Shares full sun and moderate water; blooms in midsummer as this one finishes; both are strong pollinator plants, and they feed in different months; its seed heads stand through winter, for structure and the birds.
Big Bluestem
Shares full sun and low to moderate water; blooms in midsummer as this one finishes; both are strong pollinator plants, and they feed in different months; its seed heads stand through winter, for structure and the birds.
Sunflower
Shares full sun and moderate water; blooms in midsummer as this one finishes; both are strong pollinator plants, and they feed in different months; its seed heads stand through winter, for structure and the birds.
Purple Lovegrass
Shares full sun and low to moderate water; blooms in midsummer as this one finishes; both are strong pollinator plants, and they feed in different months; its seed heads stand through winter, for structure and the birds.
Yaupon Holly
Shares full sun and moderate water; blooms in mid spring, before this one opens; both are strong pollinator plants, and they feed in different months; evergreen, so the bed keeps its shape through winter; they only overlap in zones 7 to 8.
Common Pussy Willow
Shares full sun and moderate water; blooms in early spring, before this one opens; both are strong pollinator plants, and they feed in different months; taller at 16 ft, for the layer behind it.
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