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Key characteristics

Height: 24–40 inches tall
Width: 24–36 inches wide
Flower color: Single deep rose-pink blooms with golden-yellow stamens
Foliage color: Young leaves emerge bronze-red, maturing to glossy medium to dark green divided foliage
Bloom time: Early to mid-spring
Light: Prefers full sun to partial shade
Water: Moderate
Maintenance: Low, remove faded blooms; cut back foliage in late summer; division rarely needed
Growing zone: USDA zones 4–8
Wildlife: Fragrant flowers draw bees, butterflies, and other pollinators; deer-resistant

Perennials

Paeonia mairei

Maire's Peony

Paeonia mairei is a deciduous, herbaceous species native to the mountainous woodlands of central and southwestern China. It blooms in mid-spring, producing single, saucer-shaped flowers that are rose‑pink to fuchsia in tone and have a sweet, spicy fragrance. Following bloom, the flowers give way to glossy, star-shaped seed pods that mature into shiny dark seeds later in the season.

The plant features deeply-incised leaves with a glossy sheen, and thrives in shaded, woodland settings.

Light

Prefers full sun to partial shade

Water

Moderate

Bloom time

Early to mid-spring

Find this plant

Works well in

Borders
Cottage Gardens
Pollinator Gardens
Cut Flower Gardens

Companion plants

Daylilies · Japanese anemones · Bleeding hearts · Catmint · Heucheras · Lady's mantle

Design tip

The early flowers arrive when the garden is still waking up, so give it a spot you pass often in spring. It takes sun or light shade, which makes it useful along the changing light of a bed edge or a partly shaded border.