Herb. No. 251 · Paeoniaceae
Chinese herbaceous peony; the farmhouse clump of cold-winter gardens.
Native · East Asia
Garden peony
Paeonia lactiflora
Garden flowersKitchenFlowersHarvestCompanions
The late-spring shrub of buds that ants tend — a long-lived perennial whose petals, not its root, are the only kitchen note here.
Chinese herbaceous peony is a plant you plant once. Ants on the buds are drinking extrafloral nectar, not opening the flower for you; leave them. The bloom is brief and famous. Unsprayed petals have been used in salads and sugars; the root (bai shao and related drugs) is a professional traditional-medicine material, not a backyard tea. Tree peony (P. suffruticosa) is woodier and even less a kitchen plant. In zone 6b the herbaceous clump wants a cold winter, a rich soil, and not to be moved.
Flavor
Petals are mild, slightly bitter-perfumed. A garnish, not a vegetable.
Parts used
Petal (unsprayed)
Helpful
- A fifty-year plant if you do not fuss
- Cut blooms that fill a room
- Cold-hardy
Cautions
- Brief season
- Hates being moved
- Root preparations are not this catalog’s job