Paeonia 'Pink Hawaiian Coral'

Paeonia 'Pink Hawaiian Coral': Coral and Apricot That Won't Sit Still

'Pink Hawaiian Coral' opens coral-pink with golden stamens, then fades to apricot and cream like a summer tan wearing off. Semi-double, cupped and fragrant. THE GLOW IS TEMPORARY. THE ENVY IS NOT.

Plant Characteristics:

• Botanical Name: Paeonia hybrid
• Common Name: Garden Peony
• Height: 90 cm (3 ft)
• Spread: 90 cm (3 ft)
• Flowers: Semi-double and cupped, coral-pink with golden stamens, fading to apricot and cream; fragrant
• Bloom Time: Late spring to early summer (May to June); early in the peony season
• Foliage: Glossy, mid to dark green
• Features: Strong stems, good cut flower

Where to Plant: Use it to bring warm colour to a sunny border, an island bed or a cutting garden. Pick stems at the soft-bud stage and watch the colour change in the vase. It opens early, so it helps stretch your peony season.

Companion Plants: Plant 'Pink Hawaiian Coral' in a sunny or part-shade bed with grape spiderwort, dark lilies and double red daylilies. Tradescantia 'Concord Grape' adds violet-purple spiderwort at 40 to 45 cm from June to September. Lilium 'Blacklist' brings dark red lilies at 60 to 85 cm in June and July. Hemerocallis 'Moses' Fire' adds double red daylilies at 55 to 60 cm in July and August. Miscanthus 'Silberfeder' rises behind at 180 to 225 cm with silvery plumes.

Plant Care: Plant in full sun in rich, well-drained soil. Keep the eyes no more than 5 cm (2 in) below the surface. Water through the first summer while the roots settle in. The stems are sturdy and usually hold up on their own. Deadhead spent flowers to keep the clump neat. Cut the foliage down after frost and remove it. Peonies are long-lived and resent being moved, so pick its spot with care. Divide only if necessary, in September.

History: 'Pink Hawaiian Coral' was bred by Roy G. Klehm of Illinois from a cross of 'Charlie's White' and 'Otto Froebel', and registered with the American Peony Society in 1981. It won the APS Gold Medal in 2000 and an Award of Landscape Merit in 2009.

Final Thoughts: Strong stems, early blooms and deer that keep away. Cut a few for the house. NO SUNSCREEN NEEDED.