Peony (Paeonia lactiflora) — Plotwright

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Peony

Habit (mature) · Boaventuravinicius / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 4.0

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Peony

Paeonia lactiflora

The classic common garden (or Chinese) peony — an erect, clump-forming herbaceous perennial native to China, Tibet, and Siberia that rises 1.5 to 2.5 feet on red-tinged stems clothed in glossy, deeply divided dark-green leaves. In May it opens large, cup-to-bowl-shaped flowers of white, pink, or crimson around a conspicuous boss of yellow stamens; most cultivars are fragrant and superb for cutting. Long-lived and undemanding, a single planting needs a cold winter to bloom and can be left undisturbed for decades.

Review: Source-backed

Climate fit: moderate (52/100)

Border

Focal point

Pollinator

Light

Full sun / Part shade

Water

Moderate water

Mature size

18-30" tall · 30" apart

Hardy in zones

3a-8b

brutally cold to frosty winters

Summer heat range

Cool-Warm

cool to warm summers Interim Plotwright tier until the plant AHS range is authored.

Native in Illinois

No

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Cold hardiness

Now

Zone 6b

USDA

Chicago, IL · 1991-2020 average annual coldest day

Source: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map 2023 (1991-2020 climatology) via ArcGIS FeatureServer

Well-suited

2050

Zone 7b

Plotwright

Your zone + climate-model shift · SSP3-7.0 (regional rivalry)

Well-suited

In plain terms: cold winters — coldest nights typically around -3°F.

✓

Well-suited today and still thriving in 2050.

Heat tolerance

°C

°F

Loading current AHS heat-zone and plant heat-fit data at your coordinates…

Where this plant fits

Suitable across 40 ecoregions — 35 climate-resilient through 2070 · 5 suited today. Best matches first.

Appalachian mixed mesophytic forests

Appalachian-Blue Ridge forests

Arizona Mountains forests

Blue Mountains forests

Canadian Aspen forests and parklands

Central Pacific Northwest coastal forests

Central Tallgrass prairie

Central-Southern Cascades Forests

Colorado Rockies forests

Cross-Timbers savanna-woodland

Sources & citations

Cite this page

For lesson plans, articles, or research that uses this page. To cite a single upstream fact instead, use its specific source listed below.

Plotwright. (2026, May 17). Peony (Paeonia lactiflora). Retrieved 2026, June 5, from https://plotwright.garden/plants/peony

Sources for every fact

Every fact on this page traces to a source. 18 fields cited — 18 source-backed.

Missouri Botanical Garden PlantFinder

Botanical research database

Backs 17 fields

Identity

Summary

Plant type

Light

Moisture

Hardiness

Heat zone

Size

Spacing

Habit

Design roles

Seasonal interest

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Lifecycle

Regional guidance

Success tips

Designer notes

Wikimedia Commons

Photo · CC BY 4.0

Backs 1 field

Image

NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox

University extension service

Community photos

The photos above are our reviewed reference set, curated for accuracy.

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