Paeonia 'Coral Charm'

Paeonia 'Coral Charm': Coral-Peach Cups That Steal the Vase

'Coral Charm' opens a coral-peach so bright it could pass for a highlighter, then fades to soft cream like it's winding down after a big night. Golden stamens, open centre, bees on duty. GLOWING. LITERALLY.

Plant Characteristics:

• Botanical Name: Paeonia hybrid (P. lactiflora × P. peregrina)
• Common Name: Hybrid Peony
• Height: 90 cm (3 ft)
• Spread: 90 cm (3 ft)
• Flowers: Large, cupped, semi-double blooms that open coral-peach and fade to soft coral and cream, with golden stamens
• Bloom Time: Late spring to early summer (May to June)
• Foliage: Dark green, deeply divided leaves on sturdy stems
• Features: Long-lived

Where to Plant: Plant it in the middle of a sunny border, along a walkway, or in a cutting garden, with enough plants to share with the vase. It's an early bloomer, so it helps bridge the gap between spring and summer colour. Give it a permanent home, since it's long-lived.

Companion Plants: Plant 'Coral Charm' in a sunny or part-shade bed with white veronica, coral phlox and late orange daylilies. Veronica Magic Show® 'White Wands' adds white spikes at 36 to 41 cm in June and July. Phlox Super Ka-Pow™ Coral brings coral heads at 45 to 50 cm from June to August. Hemerocallis 'Sammy Russell' adds brick-red daylilies at 75 cm in August and September. Miscanthus × giganteus makes a towering green screen at the back, 250 to 350 cm tall.

Plant Care: Give it at least six hours of sun and rich, well-drained soil. Plant it so the pink buds, or eyes, on the crown sit no more than 5 cm (2 in) below the soil surface. Planting too deep is the most common reason a peony refuses to bloom. Water well through its first season. Peonies don't like being moved, so pick the spot carefully. The stems are fairly sturdy, but a peony ring helps in rainy springs. Cut the stems to the ground in fall and remove the old leaves to help prevent leaf diseases. Ants on the buds are harmless.

History: 'Coral Charm' came from a cross between the lactiflora peony 'Minnie Shaylor' and the P. peregrina hybrid 'Otto Froebel', and is credited to Illinois breeder Samuel Wissing. The American Peony Society awarded it a Gold Medal in 1986.

Final Thoughts: Long-lived, low maintenance and ignored by deer. Plant it now and enjoy it for decades. THE RELATIONSHIP OF YOUR DREAMS.