Paeonia 'Felix Crousse'
Add to Wishlist
Full Sun
Partial Sun
Drought Tolerant
Deer Resistant
Low Maintenance
- In stock, ready to ship
Paeonia 'Felix Crousse': Old-School Crimson, Zero Apologies
'Felix Crousse' wears a wide collar of guard petals around a crimson bomb of a bloom, like a velvet ruff at a costume party. Bold, raspberry red and impossible to ignore. DRESSED TO IMPRESS. FLOWERS ONLY.
Plant Characteristics:
- Botanical Name: Paeonia lactiflora 'Felix Crousse'
- Common Name: Garden Peony
- Height: 70–85 cm (28–33 in)
- Spread: 90 cm (3 ft)
- Flowers: Fully double, bomb-shaped blooms in crimson to raspberry red, with a wide collar of guard petals
- Bloom Time: Early summer (June)
- Foliage: Glossy, dark green, divided leaves on a bushy clump
- Features: Long-lived
Where to Plant: Use it as a bold accent in a sunny border, in a row along a driveway, or in the cutting garden. It blooms a little later than many peonies, so it helps stretch the season. Give it a permanent spot, since it's long-lived.
Companion Plants: Baptisia Decadence® Deluxe 'Pink Lemonade' flowers at 105 to 120 cm from May to July, overlapping with the red peony blooms. Leucanthemum 'Starburst' adds big white daisies at 80 to 120 cm from June to August. Echinacea 'Prairie Splendor' brings pink coneflowers at 45 to 60 cm from June to September. This group thrives in full sun or part sun.
Plant Care: Plant in full sun to part sun, in rich, well-drained soil. Set the eyes on the crown no more than 5 cm (2 in) below the soil surface. Planting too deep is the classic reason a peony won't bloom. Water well through the first season. The full, heavy flowers can flop after rain, so set a peony ring over the clump in early spring. Deadhead spent blooms. Cut the stems to the ground in fall and remove the old foliage. It doesn't need dividing and resents being moved.
History: 'Felix Crousse' was introduced in France in 1881 by the peony breeder Crousse and has also been sold as 'Victor Hugo'. Peony writers have ranked it among the best reds for well over a century.
Final Thoughts: Long-lived and low maintenance, with deer that keep their distance. Plant it wherever red is needed. NOBODY ELSE CAN PULL OFF THAT COLLAR.
