Peony 'Bowl of Beauty'
Paeonia lactiflora 'Bowl of Beauty' · Paeoniaceae
A wide bowl of bright fuchsia-pink petals filled with a froth of narrow, creamy-yellow petaloids.
- Size
- 3 ft tall, 3 ft wide
- Zones
- 3 to 8
- Light
- Full sun to part sun
- Flowers
- Late May to late June
- Pets
- Toxic (mild)
- Job in a bed
- Specimen
A bed built around peony 'Bowl of Beauty'
The planner designed this bed around peony 'Bowl of Beauty' when this page was made: a 12 × 6 ft (3.7 × 1.8 m) English border in zone 6, full sun. It chose the other plants from the 966 that suit those conditions, and says below why peony 'Bowl of Beauty' stands where it does.
The plants
- 1 Peony 'Bowl of Beauty' × 1, pink
- 2 Sea thrift × 5, white
- 3 Heath aster 'Snow Flurry' × 5, white
- 4 False sunflower 'Summer Nights' × 3, yellow
- 5 Oriental poppy 'Patty's Plum' × 3, purple
- 6 Palm sedge × 3, green leaves
- 7 Star of Persia × 3, purple
- 8 Spring starflower × 12, blue
Why this plant
- The only bold leaves here. The rest are fine and medium. A change of leaf keeps plants distinct when nothing is in flower.
- The only pink.
Why here
- Anchors a back corner. At 3 ft it is one of the taller plants here, and the tallest close the ends of the bed, where they stand in front of nothing.
- A step in the back row. Next to oriental poppy 'Patty's Plum' (2½ ft): no two neighbours there are the same height, so the back steps up and down like a skyline.
- One plant, alone. A feature plant is seen as an object, and needs clear ground around it.
Why now
- In flower for four weeks. From late May to late June.
- Part of the bed's peak. With sea thrift, oriental poppy 'Patty's Plum' and star of Persia in late May: 4 kinds at once. No week has more.
Planned as an English border: 4 of the 5 groups (80%) are drifts, longer along the bed than they are deep. The back corners are held by false sunflower 'Summer Nights' and peony 'Bowl of Beauty', the tallest plants on the plan. The most in flower at one time is 4 kinds, from late May.
The planner's own design check: 13 Excellent, 4 Good. It flags one thing to watch: Nothing on this plan is highly poisonous or an aggressive spreader.
Open this bed in the planner Change its size, the sun or the style, move plants about, or swap one for another.
Where peony 'Bowl of Beauty' goes in a border
At 3 ft it belongs in the middle of a bed. In the planner's ten height classes it is medium tall (2½ to 3 ft).
Its job: specimen. A feature plant with a shape of its own. It stands alone with room around it, and repeats only at a distance.
A Japanese-form peony: lighter than the doubles, so the flowers stand up in rain without support. The two-tone flower is a focal point for three weeks.
- A focal point in early summer
- Peony flowers that stand up in rain
- Cutting
What to plant with peony 'Bowl of Beauty'
Plants recorded as good partners for it, and what each pairing does:
- Siberian iris: in flower together for four weeks, from late May; fine leaves against its bold ones.
- Cranesbill 'Rozanne': in flower together for three weeks, from early June; medium leaves against its bold ones; low enough (18 in) to stand in front of it.
- Lady's mantle: in flower together for four weeks, from late May; medium leaves against its bold ones; low enough (18 in) to stand in front of it.
Questions about peony 'Bowl of Beauty'
Does peony 'Bowl of Beauty' need sun or shade?
Peony 'Bowl of Beauty' grows in full sun (6 or more hours of direct sun a day) and part sun (4 to 6 hours of sun, including some afternoon sun).
It wants ordinary well-drained soil, rich in organic matter, and a good soak in dry spells.
What zones does peony 'Bowl of Beauty' grow in?
USDA zones 3 to 8. It is hardy to zone 3, which means it survives winter nights down to about −30 °F (−34 °C).
Above zone 8 it struggles: the zones measure winter cold, but a plant's top zone usually means the summers are too hot or the winters too mild for it to rest.
Gardening in Canada? Use the USDA zone for your town: Canada's own zone map uses different numbers.
When does peony 'Bowl of Beauty' flower in my zone?
In zone 5 it flowers late May to late June. As a spring flower it moves about a week for every zone: earlier where it is warmer, later where it is colder.
| Zone 3 | Mid June to late June |
|---|---|
| Zone 4 | Early June to late June |
| Zone 5 | Late May to late June |
| Zone 6 | Late May to late June |
| Zone 7 | Mid May to mid June |
| Zone 8 | Early May to mid June |
Worked out from Hopkins' bioclimatic law: spring arrives about four days later for each degree of latitude north, and one zone is roughly two degrees. A warm spring or a cold one moves any garden two weeks either way.
How far apart should peony 'Bowl of Beauty' be planted?
2½ ft (80 cm) apart, from the middle of one plant to the middle of the next. That is a little closer than its full width of 3 ft (90 cm), so a group knits into one patch.
It grows 3 ft (90 cm) tall. Give it the full distance from anything taller, or it will lean out towards the light.
How many peony 'Bowl of Beauty' plants do I need?
At 2½ ft apart, set out in staggered rows:
- 2 to fill 10 square feet (about 1 m²)
- 4 for a single row 10 ft (3 m) long
- 5 to fill a 4 × 8 ft bed on its own
In a mixed border, plant it as one, with clear ground around it: a feature plant is seen as an object, and a group of them is a thicket.
In the bed above, the planner used one in one group.
Is peony 'Bowl of Beauty' poisonous to dogs and cats?
Yes: mild toxicity to dogs, cats and horses. Can cause vomiting and diarrhoea in pets if eaten.
What flowers after peony 'Bowl of Beauty'?
Peony 'Bowl of Beauty' is over by late June. These start as it finishes and carry the same spot on, so it never goes flat:
- Black-eyed Susan: from mid July to mid September, 24 in tall, to stand in front of it and cover its fading stems.
- Butterfly weed: from late June to early August, 24 in tall, to stand in front of it and cover its fading stems.
- Daylily: from late June to early August, 2½ ft tall.
What does peony 'Bowl of Beauty' look like in winter?
Peony 'Bowl of Beauty' dies down to the ground and there is nothing to see until spring. The old stems can be cut in autumn, or left until spring as shelter for overwintering insects.
More Paeonia
- Fernleaf peony Paeonia tenuifolia
- Itoh peony 'Bartzella' Paeonia 'Bartzella'
- Peony Paeonia lactiflora
- Peony 'Coral Charm' Paeonia 'Coral Charm'
- Peony 'Festiva Maxima' Paeonia lactiflora 'Festiva Maxima'
- Peony 'Karl Rosenfield' Paeonia lactiflora 'Karl Rosenfield'
- Peony 'Sarah Bernhardt' Paeonia lactiflora 'Sarah Bernhardt'
- Tree peony Paeonia suffruticosa
In these guides
Zone guides: Zone 3 · Zone 4 · Zone 5 · Zone 6 · Zone 7 · Zone 8
Every fact on record
- Type
- Perennial
- Size
- 3 ft (90 cm) tall, 3 ft (90 cm) wide
- Plant
- 2½ ft (80 cm) apart
- Height class
- Medium tall (2½ to 3 ft)
- Place in the bed
- Middle
- Flowers
- Late May to late June; open bowls; pink, cream
- Leaves
- Bold texture, herbaceous; dark green
- Shape
- Rounded, clumping
- Hardy in
- USDA zones 3 to 8
- Light
- Full sun, part sun
- Soil
- Rich, well-drained
- Water
- Moderate
- Feeding
- Light, in spring
- Family
- Paeoniaceae
Checked against VASCAN (plants of Canada). Flowering times are for zone 5: later in colder zones, earlier in warmer ones. Toxicity and spread information is a general gardening guide, not veterinary or medical advice, and invasive status varies by region. If a person or pet eats a plant, contact poison control or a vet. Check your local invasive species list before planting anything with a spread warning.