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Key characteristics

Height: 18–24 inches tall
Width: 18–24 inches wide
Flower color: Single blooms in shades of white to rose
Foliage color: Gray-green foliage
Bloom time: Early to mid-spring
Light: Prefers part shade
Water: Moderate moisture
Maintenance: Medium, remove spent flowers; cut foliage to ground after frost; mulch in fall; long-lived and rarely needs division
Growing zone: USDA zones 5–8
Wildlife: Fragrant blooms draw bees and butterflies; resistant to deer and rabbits

Perennials

Paeonia obovata

Woodland Peony

Paeonia obovata is a woodland peony native to China, Japan, Korea, and parts of eastern Russia, where it thrives in forest settings during mid-spring. It produces single, cup-shaped flowers ranging from white to rose-purple, each revealing a cluster of yellow stamens at the center. The blossoms carry a mild fragrance, and after flowering, they develop distinctive starfish-like seed pods. The plant features gray-green, biternate foliage composed of oval to egg-shaped leaflets.

Light

Prefers part shade

Water

Moderate moisture

Bloom time

Early to mid-spring

Find this plant

Works well in

Borders
Shade Gardens
Woodland Gardens
Pollinator Gardens
Rain Gardens

Companion plants

Bleeding hearts · Solomon's seal · Ferns · Lungworts · Wild ginger · Hellebores

Design tip

The early flowers arrive when the garden is still waking up, so give it a spot you pass often in spring. Keep it out of hot afternoon sun and layer it with woodland companions for a full, settled look.

Printable plant sheet (PDF)