Not the plant you're looking for? Search over 300,000 plants

Herbaceous Perennial

Paeonia obovata

obovate peony

A compact, clump-forming perennial to around 60cm high, with foliage divided into large, slightly grey-green, oval to egg-shaped leaflets that are held in groups of three. Flowers from mid spring, producing cup-shaped, lightly scented single flowers with white or dark pink petals, which are followed by pods of glossy black seeds

Synonyms

Paeonia japonica (Makino) Miyabe & Takeda

Save to My plants

Buy this plant

Plant nurseries
3 suppliers

Ultimate height

0.5–1 metres

Time to ultimate height

2–5 years

Ultimate spread

0.5–1 metres

Chalk

Clay

Loam

Sand

Moisture

Moist but well–drained

pH

Acid, Alkaline, Neutral

	Stem	Flower	Foliage	Fruit
Spring
Summer
Autumn
Winter

Full sun
Partial shade

Aspect

East–facing or South–facing or West–facing

Exposure

Sheltered

Hardiness
Hardiness ratings
All ratings refer to the UK growing conditions unless otherwise stated. Minimum temperature ranges (in degrees C) are shown in brackets
H1a: under glass all year (>15C)
H1b: can be grown outside in the summer (10 - 15)
H1c: can be grown outside in the summer (5 - 10)
H2: tolerant of low temperatures, but not surviving being frozen (1 to 5)
H3: hardy in coastal and relatively mild parts of the UK (-5 to 1)
H4: hardy through most of the UK (-10 to -5)
H5: hardy in most places throughout the UK even in severe winters (-15 to -10)
H6: hardy in all of UK and northern Europe (-20 to -15)
H7: hardy in the severest European continental climates (< -20)

Botanical details

Family: Paeoniaceae
Native to GB / Ireland: No
Foliage: Deciduous
Habit: Bushy, Clump forming
Potentially harmful: Pets (dogs, cats): Skin irritant. For further information and contact numbers regarding pets, see the HTA guide to potentially harmful plants
Genus: Paeonia may be herbaceous perennials or deciduous sub-shrubs with large, divided leaves and showy large bowl-shaped flowers, usually in early summer
Name status: Correct
Plant range: Temperate Asia

How to grow

Cultivation

Grow in deep, rich, well-drained soil, ideally in full sun but will tolerate light shade. Will not tolerate waterlogging. See herbaceous peony cultivation for more detailed advice

Propagation

Propagate by seed or by division, lifting and dividing established clumps in autumn

Suggested planting locations and garden types

City and courtyard gardens
Cottage and informal garden
Low Maintenance
Flower borders and beds

Pruning

Cut back to ground level in autumn, to remove dead foliage and reduce the risk of disease

Pests

May be susceptible to leaf and bud eelworm and swift moth caterpillar

Diseases

May be susceptible to a virus, honey fungus, Verticillium wilt, peony leaf blotch and peony wilt

Get involved

The Royal Horticultural Society is the UK’s leading gardening charity. We aim to enrich everyone’s life through plants, and make the UK a greener and more beautiful place.