Peony Types and Flower Forms: Breck’s Guide

There are few flowers that can compare to the loveliness of peonies. These gorgeous perennials are famous for their spectacular blooms, beautiful greenery and long lifespan—they can live for decades in the right growing conditions! Their huge flowers are beloved in gardens and cut-flower bouquets alike. This guide will help you understand the three main peony types, as well as the various peony flower forms. Plus, we can help recommend the best peonies for your interests.

Types of Peonies

There are three main peony types, all of which are available from Breck’s: herbaceous peonies, tree peonies and Itoh peonies. Many gardeners will include a mix of all three types in their gardens to showcase a variety of flowers and foliage, and to extend the bloom time of peonies in the landscape.

Herbaceous Peonies

Herbaceous peonies are the most common type of peony with a wide range of colors and flower forms.

• Growth: They grow stems and foliage during spring and summer, and die back to the ground with late fall frost. They stay dormant in the winter and require a period of chilling. Each spring, their root systems produce new plants and blooms. Herbaceous peonies include Paeonia lactiflora cultivars and hybrids. (Since this variety is so popular, you don’t usually see “herbaceous” in the name of the plant, for example: Coral Sunset Peony.)
• Zones: Herbaceous peonies are suited for hardiness zones 3–8.
• Bloom Time: Late spring and early summer. See product details for some variation among varieties.
• Flowers: Herbaceous peonies offer a wide range of flower varieties. See below for the six classes of peony flower forms and check the individual product pages for flower details.

Tree Peonies

Tree peonies (also called woody peonies) are shrubs that offer year-round interest in the landscape.

• Growth: They are the largest peony variety. The woody branches remain above ground and, unlike herbaceous peonies, do not die back to the ground in the fall. They do also require a cold dormancy period for the best long-term health.
• Zones: Tree peonies are suited for hardiness zones 4–7.
• Bloom Time: Generally, tree peonies flower just before herbaceous varieties.
• Flowers: Tree peonies are known for single or semi-double blooms with visible stamens that attract pollinators. See product pages for details.

Itoh Peonies

A cross between tree peonies and herbaceous peonies, Itoh peonies (also called intersectional peonies) combine the best of both worlds. They are named for Toichi Itoh, the Japanese botanist and breeder who developed these hybrids.

• Growth: Like tree peonies, Itoh peonies have a domed, vigorous growth habit, very sturdy stems and large semi-double flowers. Like herbaceous peonies, they die back to the ground every winter and regrow each spring.
• Zones: Itoh peonies are suited for hardiness zones 3–8.
• Bloom Time: Most Itoh peonies bloom after herbaceous peonies.
• Flowers: Itoh peonies generally feature semi-double or sometimes double blooms, usually with visible stamens that pollinators love. See individual product pages for flower details.

Peony Flower Forms

The American Peony Society’s official standard includes six forms of peony flowers. Growing a mix of different flower forms in the garden results in an interesting display and adds variety to bouquets.

The official flower forms include single, Japanese, anemone, semi-double, bomb and full double.

1. Single – typically 5–15 petals spread in a saucer shape with visible pollen-bearing stamens in the center.
2. Japanese – like the singles, they have stamens or staminodes in the center, often encased in petal tissue that prevents pollen from being exposed.
3. Anemone – the very narrow petals clustered at the center are called petalodes, a transitional form between staminodes and petals.
4. Bomb – the petals clustered in the center of the flower are large enough to be full inner petals, usually the same color as the outer petals. The result is a flower that looks like an explosion of petals.
5. Semi-Double – typically feature visible stamens in the center but with a double layer of outer petals (compared to single flowers). There are many variations of semi-double peony flowers.
6. Full Double – The lushest peony flowers of all. There may be stamens, but if they are present, they’re not easily seen.

Fragrant Peonies

Which peonies have the strongest scent? Favorite fragrant peonies include: Festiva Maxima, Karl Rosenfield, Raspberry Sundae, Red Charm, Felix Supreme, Duchesse de Nemours, Sorbet, Gardenia, Coral Sunset and many others. Discover all fragrant peony varieties here.

Award-Winning Peonies

Awards help gardener’s choose reliable, proven flower varieties for their gardens. Breck’s collection of award-winning peonies includes recipients of the following accolades:

American Peony Society’s Gold Medal is the highest honor given by the APS, an annual award given to a single, exceptional peony for “outstanding flower beauty, consistency and overall garden or commercial performance.”

American Peony Society’s Award of Landscape Merit is awarded for superior beauty, overall appearance in the landscape with special attention to foliage throughout the season and overall reliable healthy garden performance. Plus, the peonies need to be self-supporting in wide ranging weather conditions, so these are the best options if you want to avoid staking.

Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit winners have been through trials and expert reviews, and are known to exhibit excellent garden performance, healthy disease resistance, stable form and color throughout the growing season.

Shop all award-winning peonies here

Peony Types: FAQs

How to tell the difference between peony types?

Be examining the plant’s growth habit, foliage and flower form, you can usually identify the peony in your garden.

Tree peony vs herbaceous peony: what's the difference?

Unlike herbaceous peonies, which die back to the ground during winter, tree peonies keep their woody shrub form above ground all year.

What are the easiest peony types for beginning gardeners?

Generally, herbaceous peonies are considered the simplest peony type to grow. We highly recommend starting with award-winning peonies for varieties that have been tested and proven.

What are the longest-blooming peonies?

Itoh peonies offer the longest bloom season. To extend the bloom time of peonies in your landscape, include a mix of herbaceous peonies, tree peonies and Itoh peonies in your garden to enjoy a long-lasting mix of flowers.

What are the best peony types for cutting gardens?

Herbaceous peonies are generally considered to be the best options for cutting gardens, with Itoh peonies another good choice. No cutting garden is complete without a variety of spectacular peonies to fill out your spring and summer bouquets.

Best place to order bareroot peonies?

Shop Breck’s peony collection for bareroot peonies backed by our 100% Lifetime Guarantee!

Learn More:
- How to Grow Peonies