Paeonia 'Raspberry Sundae'

Paeonia 'Raspberry Sundae': Pink and Cream Layers, Good Enough to Eat

Pale pink petals, a domed cream centre and a little blush of pink on top. 'Raspberry Sundae' is the only dessert your doctor will actually sign off on. ZERO CALORIES. ALL TOPPINGS.

Plant Characteristics:

• Botanical Name: Paeonia lactiflora 'Raspberry Sundae'
• Common Name: Garden Peony
• Height: 90 cm (3 ft)
• Spread: 100 cm (3.3 ft)
• Flowers: Bomb-type double; pale pink guard petals around a domed centre of cream petals, often tinted pink and touched with yellow; fragrant
• Bloom Time: Late spring to early summer (May to June)
• Foliage: Dark green, full and upright
• Features: Long-lived, excellent cut flower

Where to Plant: It's a natural focal point in a sunny border or cottage garden, and a favourite in cutting beds. The soft pink and cream blend works with almost every other colour, so it fits easily into an existing bed.

Companion Plants: Plant Persicaria polymorpha at the back, where its cream plumes rise 120 to 180 cm and frame the peony from June to August. Hemerocallis 'Always Afternoon' fills the middle with purple daylily blooms through early and midsummer, often with rebloom. Calamintha 'White Cloud' softens the front with a haze of tiny white flowers from June to September. It's a layered planting that stays full long after the peony petals fall.

Plant Care: Plant in full sun in rich, well-drained soil. Keep the eyes no more than 5 cm (2 in) below the soil surface. Water deeply through the first season. Bomb flowers are heavy, especially after rain. Put a peony ring or grow-through support in place in early spring, before the stems get tall. Cut the foliage to the ground in fall and remove it. Leave the clump undisturbed for years. If dividing is needed, do it in September.

History: 'Raspberry Sundae' comes from Carl G. Klehm of Illinois, part of a well-known family of peony growers, and one of its parents is the peony 'Charlie's White'. It first bloomed in 1951 and was registered with the American Peony Society in 1968.

Final Thoughts: Cut a handful for the kitchen table and watch your guests reach for a spoon. Deer walk right past it. SECOND HELPINGS ARE MANDATORY.