Each week of my peony bloom season I select a "Southern Peony Best Performer". These are peony plants that have a multitude of blooms, a nice plant habit, are disease resistant, are good multipliers, and do well in our hot weather! Not only do you get recommendations of plants that can beat our heat, but also a list of peonies that bloom on different weeks, so you can extend the peony bloom season in your garden too! Read more about
Southern Peony Best Performers.
Southern Peony Best Performers by Type |
| Herbaceous |
Angel Cheeks,
Coral Charm,
Do Tell,
Feather Top,
Festiva Maxima,
Firelight,
Green Lotus,
Guidon,
Mrs. Franklin D. Roosevelt,
Myra MacRae,
Halcyon,
Honor,
Kansas,
Lovely Rose,
Lustrous,
Paul M. Wild,
Roy Pehrson's Best Yellow,
Single White (Unknown),
Topeka Garnet,
Tropicana,
White Cap
|
| Intersectional |
Bartzella,
First Arrival,
Hillary,
Julia Rose,
Keiko 愛幕 (Adored) ,
Morning Lilac,
Sonoma Amethyst,
'Takara' 慈悲 (Treasure),
Watermelon Wine
|
| Tree |
Angel Emily,
White Phoenix
|
Southern Peony Best Performers by Week |
| Week 1 |
Halcyon
|
| Week 2 |
Coral Charm,
Firelight,
Honor,
Lustrous,
White Phoenix
|
| Week 3 |
Angel Emily,
Julia Rose,
Lovely Rose,
Roy Pehrson's Best Yellow,
Single White (Unknown),
Tropicana
|
| Week 4 |
Do Tell,
First Arrival,
Green Lotus,
Hillary,
Kansas,
Keiko 愛幕 (Adored) ,
Morning Lilac,
Sonoma Amethyst,
Topeka Garnet,
Watermelon Wine
|
| Week 5 |
Bartzella,
Festiva Maxima,
Mrs. Franklin D. Roosevelt,
Takara 慈悲 (Treasure),
White Cap
|
| Week 6 |
Angel Cheeks,
Myra MacRae
|
| Week 7 |
Feather Top,
Guidon,
Paul M. Wild
|
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I already posted pictures of my favorite peony blooms from Weeks 1-3 of the peony bloom season in my post 2012 Peony Blooms Very Early to Early Mid - Weeks 1-3. However...
Peony 'Do Tell'
If you want to see the pictures from my favorite individual blooms from week 4, you can find them in my post 2012 Peony Blooms Mid Season - Week 4. As for my favorite overall...
Peony 'Bartzella'
To see the pictures from my favorite individual blooms from week 5, you can find them in my post 2012 Peony Blooms Late Mid - Week 5. My best performing peony plant as a whole...
Peony 'Angel Cheeks'
Week 6 was another great week in the peony bloom season here in the South! It's been amazing how many peonies have been blooming and the number of blooms. Peony 'Angel...
Peony 'Feather Top'
By far my favorite this week has been Peony 'Feather Top'. The blooms on this peony are huge and the variation in petals and color makes this flower a real winner. There's an outer...
Peony 'Honor'
Peony 'Honor' has been a great performer for me for several years now. You just can't beat this plant's combination of an abundance of early blooms, a neat habit, and the...
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I don't think I can say enough about this peony to convey its value in the garden. However it's true identity remains a mystery to me. I originally purchased it from Gilbert H. Wild...
Peony 'Kansas'
Peony 'Kansas' is usually an okay plant in my garden, being sometimes susceptible to botrytis blight. However this year, it is really a beauty. Without any long periods...
Peony 'Mrs. Franklin D. Roosevelt'
My best performer this week was definitely Peony 'Mrs. Franklin D. Roosevelt'. I have always loved the shape of the blooms on this plant. They are so symmetrical, and the...
Peony 'Firelight'
It was hard to choose my
Southern Peony Best Performer this week. There were actually 3 contenders, and when the final decision had to be made, Peony 'Firelight' was the...
Peony 'Lovely Rose'
I was really amazed by the performance of Peony 'Lovely Rose' this week. The color is just gorgeous - a delicate, almost coral, light pink. The petals are all neatly arranged...
Peony 'Morning Lilac'
Just the purple color would be enough, but that's not all. Peony 'Morning Lilac' was loaded with blooms this year that just kept coming. The flowers are huge, up...
Peony 'Myra MacRae'
When I look out in my garden, almost all of the peonies have faded by this time in the season. However one stellar bloomer stands out in an otherwise almost empty peony...
Peony 'Paul M. Wild'
As I look around my garden, I find the last peony blooming its bright pink heart out, Peony 'Paul M. Wild'. He's like the last man standing in the wild west. The man, the peony that...
Peony 'Coral Charm'
Peony 'Coral Charm' certainly is a charmer. It blooms early and has a very unique and lovely coral color. This particular peony was even divided for donation two years ago...
Peony 'Keiko' 愛幕 (Adored)
'Pink Double Dandy'
I must say I am really impressed with Peony 'Keiko'™ 愛幕 (Adored) this year. This peony just wowed me with its performance! This is only the second year that this intersectional...
Peony 'Halcyon'
I must say that I am usually not too impressed by Week 1 peonies. They can and do bloom here, but often they only have one or two blooms or the blooms aren't very spectacular...
Peony 'Roy Pehrson's Best Yellow'
If you've ever really really wanted a super early yellow peony for your Southern garden, then Peony 'Roy Pehrson's Best Yellow' is it! No other early yellow outperforms this...
Peony 'Sonoma Amethyst'
Peony 'Sonoma Amethyst' was hybridized by Irene Tolomeo and registered in 2001. So in the world of peonies, it is fairly new. However with its unique coloring and...
Peony 'Takara' 慈悲 (Treasure)
'Smith Opus 2'
Peony 'Takara' 慈悲 (Treasure) aka 'Smith Opus 2' is another one of the peonies in Monrovia's Japanese Itoh Collection that was hybridized by Don R. Smith. This bush surprised...
Peony 'Guidon'
I have had Peony 'Guidon' for a long time now - (over 10 years!), and it always makes a huge bush with loads of flowers. There are always multiple buds per stem. Even with the...
Peony 'Lustrous'
I have loved this peony, Peony 'Lustrous' for years now. It is just so hard to get a photo of the plant with several blooms on it all at once! The buds usually open over a period of...
Peony 'Julia Rose'
I just can not stop looking at (or taking pictures of) this Peony 'Julia Rose' plant this year. Every bloom on the plant is gorgeous. The colors of the petals are beautiful...
Peony 'Topeka Garnet'
I must say that I have been very impressed with how fast Peony 'Topeka Garnet' has developed in my garden. It has grown from 3 stems, to 7 stems, to 10 stems, to 12 stems...
Tree Peony 'White Phoenix'
Of all the tree peonies I've tried to grow, this one is definitely the easiest to grow. It doesn't mind our heat. The bush gets larger every year - no shrinkage. And the blooms become...
Tree Peony 'Angel Emily'
I do not cease to be amazed by this tree peony. I used to not really like tree peonies all that much, but I have to credit this one with changing my mind. Tree Peony 'Angel Emily' is...
Peony 'Hillary'
Well, I believe the accolades for this beautiful peony are long overdue. This Intersectional Peony 'Hillary' is a stellar performer, and I feel very lucky to grow this plant in my...
Peony 'White Emperor'
Of all the white intersectionals I grow, this one, Intersectional Peony 'White Emperor' has definitely performed the best for me so far. I'm not sure why there aren't more...
Peony 'Watermelon Wine'
I must say there is something about Peony 'Watermelon Wine' that really calls you from across the garden. I think it may be the vibrant hot pink color, the way it holds its blooms...
Peony 'Green Lotus'
This Peony 'Green Lotus' is like a machine! It is always, always full of blooms every single year. It is a very, very reliable bloomer. The blooms will just stay on the plant and...
Peony 'Festiva Maxima'
A Southern peony classic, Peony 'Festiva Maxima' is definitely a Southern Peony Best Performer. This peony will grow and multiply so well you will have enough to share with friends...
Peony 'First Arrival'
Intersectional Peony 'First Arrival' was supposedly the first ever intersectional peony that bloomed for Roger Anderson from his intersectional peony breeding attempts. It sure...
Peony 'White Cap'
I must say that this peony 'White Cap' does have one flaw, its stems like to lay flat on the ground. So if you don't mind staking it, and you love the colors, then this is one peony you'll want to...
Peony 'Tropicana'
I have excitedly been watching this Peony 'Tropicana' grow and grow steadily over the past couple years. Each year it gets larger with more blooms. It's growth habit really reminds me of...
I already posted pictures of my favorite peony blooms from Weeks 1-3 of the peony bloom season in my post 2012 Peony Blooms Very Early to Early Mid - Weeks 1-3. However...
If you want to see the pictures from my favorite individual blooms from week 4, you can find them in my post 2012 Peony Blooms Mid Season - Week 4. As for my favorite overall...
To see the pictures from my favorite individual blooms from week 5, you can find them in my post 2012 Peony Blooms Late Mid - Week 5. My best performing peony plant as a whole...
Week 6 was another great week in the peony bloom season here in the South! It's been amazing how many peonies have been blooming and the number of blooms. Peony 'Angel...
By far my favorite this week has been Peony 'Feather Top'. The blooms on this peony are huge and the variation in petals and color makes this flower a real winner. There's an outer...
Peony 'Honor' has been a great performer for me for several years now. You just can't beat this plant's combination of an abundance of early blooms, a neat habit, and the...
I don't think I can say enough about this peony to convey its value in the garden. However it's true identity remains a mystery to me. I originally purchased it from Gilbert H. Wild...
Peony 'Kansas' is usually an okay plant in my garden, being sometimes susceptible to botrytis blight. However this year, it is really a beauty. Without any long periods...
My best performer this week was definitely Peony 'Mrs. Franklin D. Roosevelt'. I have always loved the shape of the blooms on this plant. They are so symmetrical, and the...
It was hard to choose my Southern Peony Best Performer this week. There were actually 3 contenders, and when the final decision had to be made, Peony 'Firelight' was the...
I was really amazed by the performance of Peony 'Lovely Rose' this week. The color is just gorgeous - a delicate, almost coral, light pink. The petals are all neatly arranged...
Just the purple color would be enough, but that's not all. Peony 'Morning Lilac' was loaded with blooms this year that just kept coming. The flowers are huge, up...
When I look out in my garden, almost all of the peonies have faded by this time in the season. However one stellar bloomer stands out in an otherwise almost empty peony...
As I look around my garden, I find the last peony blooming its bright pink heart out, Peony 'Paul M. Wild'. He's like the last man standing in the wild west. The man, the peony that...
Peony 'Coral Charm' certainly is a charmer. It blooms early and has a very unique and lovely coral color. This particular peony was even divided for donation two years ago....jpg)
I must say I am really impressed with Peony 'Keiko'™ 愛幕 (Adored) this year. This peony just wowed me with its performance! This is only the second year that this intersectional...
I must say that I am usually not too impressed by Week 1 peonies. They can and do bloom here, but often they only have one or two blooms or the blooms aren't very spectacular...
If you've ever really really wanted a super early yellow peony for your Southern garden, then Peony 'Roy Pehrson's Best Yellow' is it! No other early yellow outperforms this...
Peony 'Sonoma Amethyst' was hybridized by Irene Tolomeo and registered in 2001. So in the world of peonies, it is fairly new. However with its unique coloring and...
Peony 'Takara' 慈悲 (Treasure) aka 'Smith Opus 2' is another one of the peonies in Monrovia's Japanese Itoh Collection that was hybridized by Don R. Smith. This bush surprised...
I have had Peony 'Guidon' for a long time now - (over 10 years!), and it always makes a huge bush with loads of flowers. There are always multiple buds per stem. Even with the...
I have loved this peony, Peony 'Lustrous' for years now. It is just so hard to get a photo of the plant with several blooms on it all at once! The buds usually open over a period of...
I just can not stop looking at (or taking pictures of) this Peony 'Julia Rose' plant this year. Every bloom on the plant is gorgeous. The colors of the petals are beautiful...
I must say that I have been very impressed with how fast Peony 'Topeka Garnet' has developed in my garden. It has grown from 3 stems, to 7 stems, to 10 stems, to 12 stems...
Of all the tree peonies I've tried to grow, this one is definitely the easiest to grow. It doesn't mind our heat. The bush gets larger every year - no shrinkage. And the blooms become...
I do not cease to be amazed by this tree peony. I used to not really like tree peonies all that much, but I have to credit this one with changing my mind. Tree Peony 'Angel Emily' is...
Well, I believe the accolades for this beautiful peony are long overdue. This Intersectional Peony 'Hillary' is a stellar performer, and I feel very lucky to grow this plant in my...
Of all the white intersectionals I grow, this one, Intersectional Peony 'White Emperor' has definitely performed the best for me so far. I'm not sure why there aren't more...
I must say there is something about Peony 'Watermelon Wine' that really calls you from across the garden. I think it may be the vibrant hot pink color, the way it holds its blooms...
This Peony 'Green Lotus' is like a machine! It is always, always full of blooms every single year. It is a very, very reliable bloomer. The blooms will just stay on the plant and...
A Southern peony classic, Peony 'Festiva Maxima' is definitely a Southern Peony Best Performer. This peony will grow and multiply so well you will have enough to share with friends...
I have excitedly been watching this Peony 'Tropicana' grow and grow steadily over the past couple years. Each year it gets larger with more blooms. It's growth habit really reminds me of...
