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: Digitalis Arctic Fox™ Lemon Cream opens soft yellow spires at 60 cm from June to August, a gentle match for coral peony flowers. Achillea 'Peter Cottontail' adds white buttons at 45 to 60 cm from June to September. Kalimeris 'Blue Star' brings blue daisies at 30 to 45 cm over the same long season. All three suit full sun or part sun.

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. Roy Klehm received a US plant patent for it in 1978, and 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.