These Peony Colors Will Brighten Up Your Garden

By Southern Living
Moelyn Photos/Getty Images

According to The Southern Living Garden Book, “Peonies dominate many a flower border in late spring; they’re great companions for iris, old roses, poppies, dianthus, and early daylilies.” Part of their appeal lies in their vibrant blooms, which come in many colors. These popular plantings flower in a rainbow of hues—every color, that is, but blue. Peonies come in several forms, including herbaceous peonies, tree peonies, and Itoh peonies (which are intersectional hybrids), among others. Some peonies, like the herbaceous ‘Shirley Temple’ and ‘Minnie Shaylor,’ begin pale pink and age to white or cream. Other peonies have deep magenta petals, including ‘Big Ben’ and ‘Karl Rosenfield.’ Many peonies are fragrant, including ‘Edulis Superba,’ ‘Festiva Maxima,’ and ‘Philippe Rivoire,’ all three of which are of the herbaceous peony form. Click through to find the peony varieties that bloom in your favorite colors, and add some to your garden this year.

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Find a Flower in Your Favorite Color

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Burgundy

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Deep red peonies symbolize passionate love.

Herbaceous
‘Belle Center,’ ‘Bordeaux,’ ‘Chocolate Soldier,’ ‘Early Scout’

Tree
‘Black Pirate,’ ‘Pluto,’ ‘Thunderbolt’

Itoh
‘Scarlet Heaven’

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Coral

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Herbaceous
‘Coral ‘n Gold,’ ‘Coral Charm,’ ‘Coral Sunset,’ ‘Coral Supreme,’ ‘Pink Hawaiian Coral’

Tree
‘Shan Hu Tai’

Itoh
‘Canary Brilliants’

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Crimson

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Herbaceous
‘America,’ ‘Blaze,’ ‘Buckeye Belle,’ ‘Nippon Beauty,’ ‘Philippe Rivoire,’ ‘Red Charm’

Tree
‘Chinese Dragon,’ ‘Hephestos,’ ‘Impumon,’ ‘Taiyo’

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Lavender

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Herbaceous
‘Color Magnet,’ ‘Easy Lavender,’ ‘Firelight,’ ‘Lavender Whisper’

Tree
‘Ann Marie,’ ‘Blue Sapphire’

Itoh
‘Oochiegas,’ ‘Takara’

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Magenta

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Herbaceous
‘Big Ben,’ ‘Felix Crousse,’ ‘Felix Supreme,’ ‘Kansas,’ ‘Karl Rosenfield,’ ‘Scarlett O’Hara’

Itoh
‘Luoyang Hong,’ ‘Yankee Doodle Dandy’

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Peach

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Herbaceous
‘Apricot Whisper’

Tree
‘Hana-kisoi,’ ‘Gauguin’

Itoh
‘Julia Rose,’ ‘Kopper Kettle,’ ‘Misaka,’ ‘Singing in the Rain’

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Pink and White

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Herbaceous
‘Bowl of Beauty,’ ‘Festiva Maxima,’ ‘Gay Paree,’ ‘Kinda Cute,’ ‘La Lorraine,’ ‘Raspberry Rumba,’ ‘Sweet Marjorie,’ ‘White Cap’

Tree
‘Companion of Serenity,’ ‘Oread,’ ‘Sakura Jishidi,’ ‘Shima-Nishiki’

Itoh
‘Cora Louise’

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Purple

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Herbaceous
‘Purple Spider’

Tree
‘Kamata-nishiki,’ ‘Sapphos’

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Rose Pink

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Pink peonies symbolize love and romance.

Herbaceous
‘Alexander Fleming,’ ‘Do Tell,’ ‘Edulis Superba,’ ‘Glory Hallelujah,’ ‘Madame Emile Debatene,’ ‘Monsieur Jules Elie,’ ‘Pink Parfait’

Tree
‘Leda’

Itoh
‘Pink Double Dandy’

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Soft Pink

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Herbaceous
‘Belvedere Princess,’ ‘Hesperus,’ ‘Lady Orchid,’ ‘Mrs. Franklin D. Roosevelt,’ ‘Pillow Talk,’ ‘Sarah Bernhardt,’ ‘Sea Shell,’ ‘Shirley Temple’

Tree
‘Fen Lan Pink’

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White

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White peonies symbolize beauty and forgiveness.

Herbaceous
‘Duchesse de Nemours,’ ‘Elsa Sass,’ ‘Henry Sass,’ ‘Kelway’s Glorious,’ ‘Krinkled White,’ ‘Minnie Shaylor’

Tree
‘Gessekai,’ ‘Godaishu’

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White and Yellow

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Herbaceous
‘Jan Van Leeuwen,’ ‘Miss America’

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Yellow

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Herbaceous
‘Border Charm,’ ‘Prairie Moon,’ ‘Smith Opus 1’

Tree
‘Age of Gold,’ ‘High Noon,’ ‘Tria’

Itoh
‘Bartzella,’ ‘Going Bananas,’ ‘Sequestered Sunshine,’ ‘Yellow Doodle Dandy’

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Yellow and Pink

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Herbaceous
‘Raspberry Sundae’

Tree
‘Isadora,’ ‘Light Demetra’

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