Experience the beauty of peonies in even the smallest spaces with Peony Athens. While traditional herbaceous peonies aren't suited for container planting, Peony Athens has been specially bred to thrive in pots, producing an abundance of blooms on a more compact plant. It forms neat, bushy clumps of lush, deeply lobed dark green leaves. The strong stems eliminate the need for staking, and unlike traditional peonies whose heavy blooms tend to droop, Peony Athens keeps its vibrant flowers upright, creating a stunning display even in smaller containers. Despite its smaller size, Peony Athens produces large, semi-double blooms in abundance, with soft, crinkled pink petals surrounding a golden center. These herbaceous peonies are long-lived and will reward you with impressive displays of ruffled blooms from late spring to early summer, year after year, with minimal effort. Plant them in borders or containers to add structure, elegance, and rich colour to your garden, or enjoy them as magnificent cut flowers. Height: 75cm (29in). Spread: 40cm (16in). Culinary note: The petals can be added to salads, lightly cooked and sweetened for a treat, or used to flavor punches. Peony water was once considered a delicacy, and the blooms can be floated in drinks. Compact variety designed for container growing with bright pink semi-double blooms and a central golden boss.
Grow peonies in a sunny or semi shaded position. They prefer a well drained, rich fertile soil. This is best achieved by adding with plenty of well rotted manure or compost to the soil prior to planting, ensuring that it is mixed in thoroughly and deeply. Plant herbaceous peonies at a depth of around 5cm (2") below the soil surface. Planting too deeply may delay flowering.
These bareroot peonies are lifted from the nursery field when dormant and sent to you in late autumn or spring for planting. They often look dead on arrival, but they are just resting in the dormant period and will establish quickly for a strong start in the garden come spring. Set out in prepared soil in holes wide enough and deep enough to lay out the roots. The crown should be planted no more than 2.5–5cm below the surface. Tread down the planting soil to knock out air pockets. Water well to settle. Apply a mulch to protect roots from cold temperatures. New growth will appear in spring. If conditions prevent immediate planting, set roughly into loose soil or a pot of compost (‘heeling in’) to protect the roots.
