There are about as many ways to plan a garden as there are to decorate a house. Styles range from the formal to natural, historic to modern, colorful to monotone. Start with your own style, think about the land you have to work with, the house you are trying to match, and dream. Then take the time to prepare the soil, deal with drainage issues and discover the pattern of the sun. Once this is done you are ready to begin. Know that a beautiful garden takes years to develop, hours of planning, and weeks in the dirt. Remember the old garden truisms - first year sleep, second year creep, third year leap - or first year roots, second year shoots, third year flowers.

For information on planting individual plants see our peony care page. For information about choosing specific varieties of peonies see our guide to herbaceous peony shapes and colors

Click the links below to jump to specific topics
- Herbaceous Peony Spacing
- Herbaceous Border/Hedge Planting
- Herbaceous Cutting Garden
- Herbaceous Cut Flowers
- Tree Peonies in the Landscape

Planting Recommendations for Borders:

- Use varieties that are slightly more stout, have good leaf coverage at the base and have large full flowers on the row closest to the pathway. Use taller varieties on the exterior rows.
- A mix of varieties and colors will extend your bloom time.

Additional Considerations:
- Keep height in mind so that your rows remain relatively even and requirs the same staking throughout.

*Pictured above - a mix of hundred proliferate flower form varieties, the most exquisite cut flowers.

Recommendations:
The best cut flowers will have large, heavily petaled blossoms. The best varieties for this are (in order of preference) hundred proliferate, rose, and crown form. Avoid single varieties. Click here for a guide to flower forms.

Some exceptional varieties for cut flowers are:
Peach Blossom in Flying Snow - pink
Embroidered Red Ball - red
Fat Concubine - white
Spirited Black Dragon - red
Pink from Seed - pink

Additional things to consider:
- Plant multiple varieties of each color that bloom at different times.
- Fragrance. Pinks and whites typically smell the best, but there are exceptions. Some dark varieties have a musky fragrance.

MORE ABOUT CUT FLOWERS

* When cutting peonies for cut flowers it is best to cut them when they first begin to show the color of the flower, the bud in the center of the picture is ready to be cut.

Herbaceous peonies make some of the best cut flowers available. With some practice, they can be cut and stored for up to six months. Click the link to watch our Martha Stewart Segment with information on how to store cut flowers.

* Pictured above - Great Prosperity - characteristic lactiflora growth - important in cutting

Lactiflora Peonies
There are many different species of peonies, one such type that is widely cultivated is the Lactiflora Peony. Varieties that have strong Lactiflora parentage will typically have five flowers per stem, instead of a single stem like those with strong Officianalis parentage. Simply put, Lactiflora species peonies are native to Central China while Officianalis peonies are native to Western Europe and thus have different growth characteristics.

When using peonies with strong lactiflora parentage many commercial cut flower growers will sell the center flower with a long stem for a higher price and sell the side buds with a slightly shorter stem for a reduced price. They don't pinch the buds of the side flowers as this does not increase the size of the center bud and only serves to reduce their harvest.

Examples of Lactiflora peonies:
Great Prosperity - red
Red Camellia - red
Morning Dew - pink
Zhao's Garden Pink - pink
Pink From Seed - pink
Purple Phoenix Flying to the Sun - purple
Magenta Sunshine - red

TREE PEONIES IN THE LANDSCAPE

Tree peonies form woody bushes that range in height between 3 and seven feet tall. They are typically planted individually as accent plants, however as can be seen in our display garden, they do fabulously in long grand rows. When grouping tree peonies consider height and growth habit above all.

*The typical leaf formation of a gansu tree peony

When selecting tree peonies it is important to think of the presentation of the plant when not in flower. That will relate to the height (dwarf, medium, tall), the growth habit (conical, partially spreading, spreading), and the leaf type.

Typically height and growth habit are closely associated. Most dwarf varieties will be spreading, have leaf coverage that spreads to the ground, and become wider than they are tall. Medium height tree peonies are typically partially spreading, forming plants that are as wide as they are tall (5' in diameter and 5' tall). Tall tree peonies are typically conical and form bushes that are taller than they are wide, growing more vertically than they do horizontally.

Dwarf plants are ideal in the front of the garden as they will become densely leafed button bushes. Mid height tree peonies make excellent stand alone plants. They are often seen in a corner that is partially protected from wind, with ample space around them. The coverage at the base is typically sufficient to make the bush beautiful on its own. However they make excellent accent plants at the back of the garden. Tall plants should be planted behind other plants as they have minimal leaf coverage toward the base and will grow rather tall, up to 7'. Plan for ample space in the garden for them to grow into. Keep in mind that tree peonies are slow growing plants and will take 10-15 years to reach maturity.

The leaf type varies widely among tree peonies. Gansu tree peonies are aptly named as they come from the gansu region of China. Plants from this region have a thin, billowy leaf that is our favorite leaf type in the garden. These plants grow quickly and provide excellent greenery and beautiful flowers.

Below are more tree peony leaf types. A highly recommended variety for beautiful foliage is fragrant gold. This plant has a leaf with a wavy edge and a silvery underside.