Paeonia 'Bowl of Beauty'

Paeonia 'Bowl of Beauty': Pink Saucers With a Lemon Twist

'Bowl of Beauty' wraps fuchsia-rose petals around a fluffy pale lemon centre. It's the two-tone hair colour you were never brave enough to try. COMMITMENT, IN FLOWER FORM.

Plant Characteristics:

• Botanical Name: Paeonia lactiflora 'Bowl of Beauty'
• Common Name: Garden Peony
• Height: 60–90 cm (2–3 ft)
• Spread: 90 cm (35 in)
• Flowers: Large Japanese-form flowers, fuchsia-rose outer petals around a full centre of pale lemon-yellow staminodes
• Bloom Time: Late spring to early summer (May to June)
• Foliage: Deep green and divided, bushy all season
• Features: Two-tone flowers, excellent cut flower

Where to Plant: It's a focal-point peony, so plant it near a path or patio where the two-tone flowers can be seen up close, or in the middle of a sunny border. The wide, leafy clump fills space well after bloom, so give it room.

Companion Plants: Stachys 'Hummelo' sends up purple spikes at 45 to 60 cm from June to August, picking up just as the pink peony flowers fade. Leucanthemum 'Snowcap' adds crisp white daisies at 30 to 35 cm along the front over the same months. Behind, Calamagrostis canadensis brings a soft, grassy texture at 90 to 150 cm in flower. This easy mix suits full sun or part sun.

Plant Care: Plant it in full sun for the most flowers. Part sun works, with fewer blooms. Give it fertile, well-drained soil with some compost mixed in. Set the crown so the pink buds, called eyes, sit no more than 5 cm (2 in) below the soil surface. Planted deeper, peonies tend to sulk and skip blooming. Water regularly through the first season, then only during long dry spells. The flowers are lighter than big doubles, but a peony ring placed in early spring still helps after heavy rain. Ants on the buds are normal and do no harm. In fall, cut the stems to the ground and clear away the leaves to reduce diseases such as botrytis. Peonies dislike being moved. If you must divide, do it in early fall, keeping three to five eyes per piece.

History: 'Bowl of Beauty' was raised by Hoogendoorn in the Netherlands and dates to 1949. Its Japanese-form flowers have a ring of normal petals around a centre of staminodes, which are stamens that have turned into narrow, petal-like strips.

Final Thoughts: Spectacular in a vase and ignored by deer. Plant it where everyone will ask how you did it. TELL THEM IT'S NATURAL.