Peonies  for the South

Each spring, Homewood carries a large selection of peonies that will perform well even in the heat of the South.
Most of these peonies arrive in late February just before they emerge from dormancy. They are all at least two year old plants meaning that they are old enough to bloom well even in their first year of planting. Below you will find pictures of most the varieties we will have available this year, including the standard garden peonies and the fancier Itoh hybrids.
All images courtesy of Monrovia Growers.

Why yes, these are your grandmother's peonies!
Some improvements have been made for heat tolerance and disease resistance but this species,
known botanically as Paeonia lactiflora, is the same peony that has been a popular garden plant and cut flower for decades.
Most cultivars form a 30" to 36" tall and wide mound of foliage and begin to bloom in mid to late April.  

Garden peonies are great but have you ever seen a Japanese Tree Peony? Wow!
The bad news is that, even though they are gorgeous, tree peonies only bloom for a few days in our climate.  
Fortunately, the Itoh hybrids provide gardeners with the huge, uniquely colored blooms of a tree peony and the bushy, floriferous nature of a garden peony.
They have also proven to be surprisingly sun tolerant and will often produce several flushes of blooms each year.
Itoh hybrid peonies are slightly larger growing than garden peonies and will usually grow 48" tall and wide.