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Shirley Temple Peony is a hybrid lactiflora peony that brings luxurious white blooms to late spring and early summer gardens across zones 3 through 8. This perennial bush grows 24 to 36 inches tall and takes 365+ days from planting to flowering, rewarding patient gardeners with elegant, full flowers that also work beautifully as cut flowers. Its hybrid vigor and deer and rabbit resistance make it a reliable performer in landscape beds, while its appeal to pollinators and butterflies adds life to the garden beyond its stunning blooms.
Full Sun
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3-8
36in H x ?in W
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Moderate
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White, multi-petaled flowers that emerge in late spring to early summer create a classic garden moment that feels both timeless and special. Hardy from zones 3 to 8, this hybrid peony thrives in full sun and matures to a neat 24 to 36 inches, making it substantial enough to anchor a bed without overwhelming surrounding plants. Its resistance to both deer and rabbit browsing means once planted, you'll actually get to enjoy those flowers instead of watching them disappear overnight.
Shirley Temple Peony shines in cut flower arrangements, where its long stems and full white blooms bring elegance indoors for weeks at a time. In the landscape, it anchors garden beds with reliable structure and masses of flowers in late spring to early summer, creating focal points that draw the eye and attract pollinators throughout the blooming season.
No timeline data available yet for this variety.
Plant peony bulbs in fall for spring blooming. Space plants 48 inches apart in garden beds with full sun exposure. Ensure soil is well-draining and enriched with organic matter before planting.
Cut Shirley Temple Peony flowers for arrangements when the buds are still slightly firm but showing color; they will open beautifully in the vase over several days. Harvest in the early morning for the longest vase life, cutting stems at a 45-degree angle with a sharp knife. Leave at least two to three sets of leaves on the plant to support continued blooming and next year's growth.
As a perennial bush peony, deadhead spent flowers after blooming to encourage repeat flowering and maintain a tidy appearance. In late fall, cut back foliage to ground level after the first hard frost. Remove any weak or crossing stems in early spring as growth emerges to maintain an open, healthy structure.
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