Peonies are very hardy, drought tolerant, disease resistant perennials. Our original collection at Blossom Hill was planted in 2004 and consisted of primarily heritage varieties. We have continued to add newer introductions of herbaceous peonies as well as species, woody (tree) and intersectional (Itoh) peonies. Our gardens are now home to over 6000 plants (more than 650 varieties)
Peonies are divided and sold as bare root plants in the autumn but there are a limited number of each variety so order early to avoid disappointment.
Herbaceous peonies are bush peonies that die to the ground each autumn and regrow in the spring. These are the most common type of peonies grown. If you have fond memories of the large fragrant double peonies in your grandmother’s garden, they were herbaceous peonies. Many of the older varieties will flop after a rainstorm but newer varieties are being bred with stronger stems for increased landscape appeal.
Woody or tree peonies are woody shrubs that lose their leaves in the autumn but the stems remain and produce leaves and flowers the next spring. The blooms of woody peonies are very dramatic with colours not available in the herbaceous plants. Most are hardy even in our colder climate. We do not wrap our woody peonies here at Blossom Hill.
Itoh or intersectional peonies result from crosses between herbaceous and tree peonies. They die to the ground each autumn and regrow in the spring. Their foliage and flower colours tend to be similar to that of the tree peonies. Intersectional peonies flower sequentially so their bloom period is generally longer than woody or herbaceous peonies. All the herbaceous and intersectional peonies that we sell are produced by division not micropropagation.