Beloved for their fully-petaled, decadent blooms and sweet fragrance, peonies make long-lived perennials with decades of recurrent color. Even when not in flower, their handsome foliage provides a leafy backdrop to summertime bloomers.

Historical favorites with a tough constitution, peonies add old-world charm to the perennial arrangement. They have roots thousands of years old in Asian gardens and appear in Pliny the Elder’s first-century writings in ancient Rome. Cultivation of wild peonies began for their medicinal properties and evolved for ornamental qualities. After centuries in China, they gained popularity in Europe in the 1800s, especially with hybridization from French breeders. They quickly spread to American gardens by the 1850s.

Vintage and heirloom peony varieties showcase nostalgic charm and high performance, standing the test of time. Mid-century and earlier varieties last for decades with reliable blooming. Peony heirloom varieties are fifty years or older and persist in popularity with robust growth, flowering, and sweet perfume.

‘Sarah Bernhardt’

This reliable performer produces sweetly scented flowers all season.

The historic ‘Sarah Bernhardt’ is a 1906 French introduction by Lemoine and remains hugely popular today. Massive, fully-petaled soft pink blooms feature fuschia flecks and a sweet fragrance of floral and citrus notes. The decadent double blooms reach seven to nine inches across.

‘Sarah Bernhardt’ flowers prolifically and has a robust habit, earning it the Royal Horticultural Society’s Award of Garden Merit. It is also drought tolerant, cold-hardy, and a long-lived performer.

‘Sarah Bernhardt’ blooms from late spring to early summer as a late peony. Easy-care once established, it grows best in moist, well-drained soils. Provide afternoon protection from intense direct sun.

‘Festiva Maxima’

This variety offers stunning white blooms with crimson accents.

This dreamy heirloom peony variety is hearty and has large, double-white blooms and splashes of crimson. Crimson flakes dot and dash a few central petals. The packed petals loosen for an effect of tissuey ruffles with scalloped edges. ‘Festiva Maxima’ is highly fragrant and one of the most popular heirloom peonies available. Other merits include large, dark green leaves and strong stems.

With good adaptability and heat resistance, ‘Festiva Maxima’ is one to try in warmer climates. The famed beauty also has Award of Garden Merit status for its blooms and reliability. Buds open in late spring; pair them with early and mid-flowering peonies for six weeks or more of peonies in flower.

‘Duchesse de Nemours’

Gorgeous, fragrant blooms offer beauty from early spring onward.

Delighting for over 150 years, ‘Duchesse de Nemours’ presents fully double, milky white globes with creamy yellow interiors and lilac overtones. Centers and guard (outer) petals show old rose tints.

The bomb blooms open to form a loose crown, dense with petals and fragrant for a gorgeous bouquet. From the French breeder Calot in 1856, the tried and true ‘Duchesse’ reigns as an early mid-season bloomer. The top performer holds the Award of Garden Merit.

The classic beauty is an herbaceous (common garden) heirloom peony that adapts to a variety of soils with notes of good performance in clay. Be sure to amend clay or sandy soils with organic matter to improve nutrition, aeration, and moisture retention. Peonies perform best in organically rich, loose, well-drained compositions.

‘Kansas’

Bold, early blooms create a striking garden display.

‘Kansas’ brings bright, juicy sweetness with watermelon red, double flowers. Large and on strong, upright stems, the shrubby forms are packed with blooms for a vibrant display.

‘Kansas’ holds its clear red color better than most and resists fading in the sun. The oversized buds on this early selection extend the show before the blooms begin.

Lightly fragrant, ‘Kansas’ is a bold 1940 introduction to punctuate the show. The standout received the American Peony Society Gold Medal in 1957.

‘Early Scout’

Yellow stamens attract pollinators as crimson flowers bloom.

‘Early Scout’ remains a favorite from 1952, with numerous small flowers and sturdy stems. One of the earliest herbaceous hybrids to bloom, ‘Early Scout’ heralds spring with deep crimson single flowers. When it comes to heirloom peonies, even single blooms have decadent layers of petals.

‘Early Scout’ is an American Peony Society Gold Medal winner and a Royal Horticultural Society Award of Garden Merit recipient. It has ferny, finely dissected foliage with parentage in P. tenuifolia, a fernleaf species native to the Caucases. The leaves remain rich green and attractive through summer and into fall.

‘Early Scout’ has a bushy habit and good form. Prominent yellow stamens in open centers are accessible to bees, butterflies, and other pollinators as the petals unfurl.

Tree Peony

Deeply divided leaves frame huge, fragrant blooms beautifully.

Tree peonies bring tall stems and some of the largest flowers on shrubby forms. The antique species is highly popular today, usually blooming before herbaceous varieties and tolerating partial shade. Tree peonies have woody stems that survive winter above ground (instead of dying back like herbaceous types).

The species holds numerous cultivars in colors from burgundy to blush to white. The straight species has pink to white flowers with purple at their base. They reach six to eight inches across with good fragrance. Leaves are deeply divided and make a pretty shrub stand-in.

Tree peony varieties boast heirloom status because they appear as ornamental specimens in Chinese literature and art thousands of years ago. They became the “King of Flowers” and symbols of regal status.

‘Rosea Plena’

A burst of rose color appears early each season.

‘Rosea Plena’ is an exceptional heirloom peony with large, fully double flowers in deep rose pink. Stunning for centuries, the 1700s heirloom boasts Award of Garden Merit status for reliable performance and vigor in addition to bold blossoms.

Also called the ‘Memorial Day’ peony, the early bloomer appears in time for the May holiday. The lush blooms measure five to six inches across and emerge up to two weeks earlier than later-season varieties. The rosy blooms have a light fragrance that adds to their sweetness.

‘Elsa Sass’

Creamy blooms and fragrance add charm to late spring gardens.

This 1930 hybrid brings exquisite ruffled blooms in the lightest of pinks that mature to creamy white. The globes become the whitest of the late-season selections. ‘Elsa Sass’ is a very late spring and early summer bloomer for an extension of the display.

The weighty blooms top medium-length, sturdy stems but may benefit from support if they show signs of nodding or flopping. The long-lived heirloom peony received the American Peony Society Gold Medal in 1943. Developed by renowned American hybridizer Henry Sass and named for his wife, the antique remains ever lovely and carries a delicious fragrance.

‘Kelway’s Glorious’

White blooms with rare scarlet flecks brighten any garden.

This variety is an heirloom beloved for its airy white petals and rare red flecks on the interior. Double blooms grace tall, upright stems for vertical interest in sunny coloration.

‘High Noon’ originated in 1909 and was cultivated by James Kelway at the famous Kelway Nursery in Somerset, England. James and his son specialized in peony horticulture and developed many adored peony cultivars.

‘Red Charm’

Showstopping red flowers bring elegance and fragrance to gardens.

‘Red Charm’ is a classic from 1944 and an herbaceous hybrid (officinalis x lactiflora). With red bomb blooms, the large, double flowers pack the petals on rigid stems. Early and tall, the bunched ruffles are showstopping against deep green foliage.

‘Red Charm’ is an award-winner, including the American Peony Society Gold Medal. Dramatic, fragrant, and heat-tolerant, the robust beauties are exceptional in the landscape and fresh florals.

‘Edulis Superba’

Early spring brings brilliant pink blossoms and lively energy.

‘Edulis Superba’ is one of the first to flower with cupped double blooms in illuminated pink. Developed in France in 1824, this heirloom is an early double with round buds and bending stems.

The heirloom has stood the test of time and has a reputation for being reliable in the cut flower garden. If you live in a region with poor soil, this is your pick, as it holds up well in heavy clay.

‘Coral Charm’

Ruffled flowers in soft peach hues bloom with grace.

‘Coral Charm’ is a young one on our list of heirloom peonies at only 60 years old, but with delicious peach shades and award-winning performance, it will stand the test of time. 

The peachy petals range from light to dark hues. Numerous ruffled flowers are large and bowl-shaped and reach five to six inches across. The warm beauty is an RHS Award of Garden Merit recipient.

A year junior is ‘Coral Sunset’ in warm apricot-orange on strong stems that don’t need staking. The semi-double flowers feature rose overtones with yellow stamens at the center. ‘Coral Sunset’ is an American Peony Society Gold Medal recipient, and flowers are early to bloom in spring. The 1965 cultivar is notable for its compact, bushy habit with sturdy branching. 

‘Mrs. Franklin D. Roosevelt’

Delicate pink blossoms add a soft glow to gardens.

This 1932 specialty boasts a bundle of pale pink petals that form tightly rounded buds and open like a waterlily into broad blossoms. From blush young petals to silvery pink when fully mature, the delicate beauties have an exquisite fragrance to match. Varying shades of soft pink with an ivory glow appear on each plant as blooms mature. 

The double blooms have loose petals and a rose-like form that curves gently. The elegant seashell flowers and vigorous growth earned the top favorite—the American Peony Society Gold Medal—in 1948. Noted for its good growth and stunning flowers, ‘Mrs. Franklin D. Roosevelt’ becomes one of the most attractive of the historic order.