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Herbaceous Perennial

Paeonia lactiflora 'Soshi'

peony 'Soshi'

An upright and bushy herbaceous perennial with attractive, dissected dark green foliage tinged red in spring. Erect stems holding showy, spicily scented, single saucer-shaped red flowers with a tinge of purple and a yellow centre appear in early spring and summer.

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Ultimate height

0.5–1 metres

Time to ultimate height

2–5 years

Ultimate spread

0.5–1 metres

Chalk

Clay

Loam

Sand

Moisture

Moist but well–drained

pH

Acid, Alkaline, Neutral

	Stem	Flower	Foliage	Fruit
Spring
Summer
Autumn
Winter

Full sun
Partial shade

Aspect

East–facing or South–facing or West–facing

Exposure

Sheltered

Hardiness
Hardiness ratings
All ratings refer to the UK growing conditions unless otherwise stated. Minimum temperature ranges (in degrees C) are shown in brackets
H1a: under glass all year (>15C)
H1b: can be grown outside in the summer (10 - 15)
H1c: can be grown outside in the summer (5 - 10)
H2: tolerant of low temperatures, but not surviving being frozen (1 to 5)
H3: hardy in coastal and relatively mild parts of the UK (-5 to 1)
H4: hardy through most of the UK (-10 to -5)
H5: hardy in most places throughout the UK even in severe winters (-15 to -10)
H6: hardy in all of UK and northern Europe (-20 to -15)
H7: hardy in the severest European continental climates (< -20)

Botanical details

Family: Paeoniaceae
Native to GB / Ireland: No
Foliage: Deciduous
Habit: Clump forming
Potentially harmful: Pets (dogs, cats): Skin irritant. For further information and contact numbers regarding pets, see the HTA guide to potentially harmful plants
Genus: Paeonia may be herbaceous perennials or deciduous sub-shrubs with large, divided leaves and showy large bowl-shaped flowers, usually in early summer
Name status: Accepted

How to grow

Cultivation

Will grow well in fertile, humus-rich, moist but well-drained soil in full sun or partial shade in a sheltered position. See herbaceous peony cultivation for more details.

Propagation

Propagate by division in autumn and early spring

Suggested planting locations and garden types

Cottage and informal garden
City and courtyard gardens
Wall side borders
Flower borders and beds
Cut flowers

Pruning

Remove spent flowers and cut back foliage in autumn when it dies back

Pests

May be susceptible to leaf and bud eelworm and soil-dwelling swift moth larvae

Diseases

May be susceptible to a virus, honey fungus, Verticillium wilt, peony leaf blotch and peony wilt

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