Shirley Temple Peony

Light Needs

Full Sun

(At Least 6 Hours Of Direct Sunlight)

Mature Height

3 Feet

Mature Spread

3 Feet

Growing Zones

3 to 8

The Shirley Temple Peony puts on a show each May when the massive double white flowers start to bloom. This plant is a heavy bloomer, and the shrub will be loaded with flowers, starting in its second growing season. This cultivar is a herbaceous perennial that is cold-hardy, allowing this plant to thrive in USDA growing zones 3 through 8. The dark, glossy foliage of the Paeonia lactiflora adds lush greenery to a landscape after the beautiful blooms die back.

This beauty makes a wonderful addition to beds, borders, or mass plantings. Feature this Peony in a highly visible area to view and admire the double flowers. The fragrant blooms also make lovely cut flowers with a long vase-life. Pollinators like butterflies will pay the Peony shrub a visit, but deer or rabbits do not favor the plant. The Shirley Temple Peony has a bushy, mounded growth habit.

Shirley Temple Peony Care

Plant this Peony in rich, neutral soil that is moist but well-draining. This plant prefers full sun, although afternoon shade is ideal in areas with scorching summers. Water this plant weekly or when the top few inches of soil dry out. Apply a balanced fertilizer in the spring to support abundant blooms.

Remove spent flowers to keep the plant looking neat. The large flowers may cause the stems to bend, so stake the plant to keep the blooms up off the ground. This variety is herbaceous, which means all growth will die back in the fall. Dead growth should be removed in the fall to prevent pests.

Shirley Temple Peony Spacing

This Peony is an upright plant that will reach 30 to 36 inches tall and spread 30 to 36 inches wide. Peonies do best when air can flow between the plants, so space plants as close as 3 feet.