J C PLANTS LLC	HOMEPAGE
Telford, Pennsylvania	Perennials
Telephone: (267) 371 - 3050	Grasses

Paeonia 'Sarah Bernhardt'

Common name	Peony
Hardiness Zone	3 to 8
Sun	Full sun to part shade
Soil	Medium moisture
Flower color	Pink
Bloom Time	April - September
Height	2-3'

General Culture:
Easily grown in rich, fertile, medium moisture, well-drained soil in full sun to part shade. Add compost as needed before planting. Remove spent flowers after blooming. Cut foliage to the ground and remove from the garden in fall after frost. Plants are long-lived, do not need to be divided and can be left undisturbed for years.
Noteworthy Characteristics:
This herbaceous (soft stemmed) peony cultivar is a shrubby plant that, each year, will typically grow to 3' tall by mid-spring, bloom, display attractive foliage throughout the summer and early fall, and then die to the ground after frost. An old standard that features very large, very fragrant, rose-pink double flowers. Blooms in late season. Glossy green foliage is divided into oval to lance-shaped leaflets. Excellent cut flower. (Lemoine, 1906).
Problems:
Peonies are considered to be relatively pest free. Botrytis blight and Phytophthora blight are sometimes problems. Ants on peony buds are common and totally harmless. If plants do not flower, possible causes include (1) planted too deep or too shallow, (2) too much shade, (3) late frost killed buds or (4) plant is too young or has been recently moved or disturbed. Large, fully double flowers usually need staking or other support because they tend to arch toward the ground in the best of weather and can be literally driven into the ground by a hard rain.
Uses:
Peonies are a standard of the perennial border, both as specimens and in groups. Also effective as accents or herbaceous hedges along fences, sidewalks, driveways or walls. Flowers are extremely showy, and foliage remains attractive throughout the growing season, either alone or as a frame or backdrop for other flowering perennials.