Paeonia lactiflora 'Black Beauty'
An upright and bushy herbaceous perennial with attractive, dissected dark green foliage tinged red in spring. Erect stems holding showy, spicily scented, saucer-shaped dark red flowers which have a small centre of prominent yellow stamens appear in late spring and early summer
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Size
Ultimate height
0.5–1 metresTime to ultimate height
2–5 yearsUltimate spread
0.5–1 metresGrowing conditions
Moisture
Moist but well–drainedpH
Acid, Alkaline, NeutralColour & scent
| Stem | Flower | Foliage | Fruit | |
| Spring | Red | Green | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Summer | Red | Green | ||
| Autumn | Green | |||
| Winter |
Position
- Full sun
- Partial shade
Aspect
East–facing or South–facing or West–facing
Exposure
Sheltered Hardiness
H6Botanical details
- Family
- Paeoniaceae
- Native to GB / Ireland
- No
- Foliage
- Deciduous
- Habit
- 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
Accepted
How to grow
Cultivation
Will grow well in fertile, humus-rich, moist but well-drained soil in full sun or partial shade in a sheltered position. See herbaceous peony cultivation for more details.
Propagation
Propagate by division in autumn and early spring
Suggested planting locations and garden types
- City and courtyard gardens
- Cottage and informal garden
- Cut flowers
- Flower borders and beds
- Wall side borders
Pruning
Remove spent flowers and cut back foliage in autumn when it dies back
Pests
May be susceptible to leaf and bud eelworm and soil-dwelling 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.