Side by side
Compare plates
Lay two plants next to each other — uses, risks, and whether either has a grow guide.
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Garden peony
Paeonia lactiflora
The late-spring shrub of buds that ants tend — a long-lived perennial whose petals, not its root, are the only kitchen note here.
Flavor
Petals are mild, slightly bitter-perfumed. A garnish, not a vegetable.
In favor
A fifty-year plant if you do not fuss
Days to harvest
A new plant may sulk a year; the third spring is the real show
Choose a specimen