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

Herbaceous Perennial

Paeonia lactiflora 'Bessie'

peony 'Bessie'

A midseason lactiflora variety with sweet-scented, double pink flowers with silvery edges. Excellent as a cut flower

Save to My plants

Ultimate height

0.1–0.5 metres

Time to ultimate height

2–5 years

Ultimate spread

0–0.1 metre

Chalk

Clay

Loam

Sand

Moisture

Moist but well–drained, Well–drained

pH

Acid, Alkaline, Neutral

	Stem	Flower	Foliage	Fruit
Spring
Summer
Autumn
Winter

Full sun
Partial shade

Aspect

South–facing or West–facing or East–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, Columnar upright
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: Accepted

How to grow

Cultivation

Best in a deep, fertile, humus-rich soil that is moist but well-drained in a sheltered position in full sun or partial shade. May need support. See Peony cultivation: herbaceous for further information.

Propagation

Propagate by division in autumn or early spring

Suggested planting locations and garden types

City and courtyard gardens
Cottage and informal garden
Low Maintenance
Cut flowers

Pruning

Remove dead flowers as they fade, then cut back plant after the foliage has died down in autumn

Pests

May be susceptible to leaf and bud eelworm and soil-dwelling swift moth larvae

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.