Peonies: 6 Facts

1. Peonies are an alternate birth flower for November.

Not everyone likes chrysanthemums, so it’s nice to have an alternate birth-month flower. 

Peonies and mums both have showy blooms with many petals. Perhaps there is an attraction to a bit of extravagance during a season when trees are losing their leaves.

2. Peony plants can grow between 2 and 10 feet tall, depending on the type. 

Tree peonies are shrubs. Because of their thick wood stems, they can grow taller than herbaceous peonies that have soft stems.

3. Peonies need cold winters.

Peonies need to get cold before they can bloom in the summer. This means that they can survive in most of the northern hemisphere, but peonies might not bloom as abundantly in lower latitudes. 

4. Peonies take three years to produce their first blooms.

This is fairly normal for many flowering plants. The first year or two might get a few blooms, but it’s the third year when the plant starts producing the amount of flowers gardeners look forward to seeing.

5. A peony plant can live for 100 years.

Of course, the growing conditions need to be favorable. A lot of factors go into a plant’s longevity. Still, it’s awe-inspiring to think that your great-grandchild could be picking flowers from the plant you enjoy today.

6. There are at least 33 species of peonies. 

Different sites had different numbers, but 33 showed up multiple times. 

Even if the exact number isn’t accurate, the big picture is that there are dozens of species of peonies. That means you can find one that you like the look of and that works for your growing site.