How to grow beautiful and maintenance-free peonies

No other perennial welcomes spring as sensationally as peonies. If you want the classic colourings of peonies, and want them to thrive, follow these steps.

• Peonies often flourish for 75 years or more when grown in a hospitable site. They hate being disturbed once they've found a home, so place them carefully.
• Choose a sunny spot with well-drained but moisture-retentive organic soil.
• Peonies can be interspersed among fellow perennials, such as iris and dianthus, in a flower bed.
• They also mesh well with roses, vines and ornamental grasses.
• A group of peonies make a strong statement flanking a doorway, anchoring a home's foundation or as  a seasonal hedge.

• Many of the most popular peonies grown today are old hybrids of the Chinese peony. These fragrant, time-honoured favourites bloom in white, pink and red.
• Some have cupped petals around fluffy golden centres, while others form pompoms of ruffled petals.
• The finest white is 'Festiva Maxima,' which has globes of snowy petals streaked subtly with scarlet on the inside.
• 'Sarah Bernhardt' is a prized pink, with fluttery petals the colour of apple blossoms.
• 'Félix Crousse' is carmine with an even darker red centre.

• Plant peonies in early fall, so that their roots become established. The plants need the cold to bloom in the spring.
• Proper planting depth is crucial. If peonies are planted too deep, they'll grow but not bloom.
• In cold-winter climates, place the plant so that the dormant growing points of the tuberous roots are buried beneath five centimetres (two inches) of soil.
• In mild-winter areas, plant so that the eyes are barely covered with soil.
• When planting peonies in groups, space them one to 1.2 metres (three to four feet) apart.
• Surround plants in spring with commercial wire peony hoops to support the flowers, which can weigh down the stems.

• Peonies are untroubled by pests. Ants that often crawl over the blossoms do no harm. Just shake them off before bringing cut flowers into the house.
• Peonies can contract the fungal disease botrytis, which browns buds and spots leaves. Spray plants with a copper-based fungicide as directed on the label before buds open.
• After a hard frost, cut foliage to the ground and dispose of it to get rid of fungal spores.

Peonies are garden classics, and not simply because they look great. With the right care, your garden can have a healthy cropping of peonies that can brighten almost any space.