Peony Varieties We Grow

Most peonies sold in this country arrive with no name. They’re flown in from overseas, sorted by color, and sold as simply “pink” or “white.” We do it the other way around. Every peony we grow on our Minnesota farms is a specific, named cultivar — a flower with a history, a bloom time, a fragrance, and a personality of its own.

This is our field guide to those cultivars: what each one looks like, when it blooms, and how to choose between them. If you’d rather see them up close, our Our Peonies showcase walks through each variety in full, with photography of every bloom.

Farmed, Not Flown

Our peonies are grown in Minnesota soil — at our farms in Eagan and Wadena — without synthetic pesticides, herbicides, or chemical fertilizers. Peonies are perennials, so the plants live in established, no-till beds that improve year after year. The stems are cut by hand at peak bloom and shipped the same day, which is why they reach you hours old instead of days old.

That freshness is the whole point. An imported peony has often spent a week or more in cold storage and transit before it ever reaches a vase. Ours go from field to box in a single morning — and a peony that fresh opens fuller, holds longer, and smells the way a peony is supposed to smell.

The Heirloom Doubles

Three of our varieties are heritage doubles — cultivars that have been treasured in gardens for more than a century. “Double” refers to the petal count: dozens of layered petals that open into the full, ruffled, romantic globe most people picture when they hear the word peony.

Duchess de Nemours — The Elegant White

Introduced in 1856, Duchess de Nemours is one of the oldest and most beloved white peonies in cultivation. Its globe-shaped blooms are creamy white with a warm yellow heart and a light, sweet fragrance. It opens early in the season, often ahead of the others, which makes it the first peony off our farm each year. Elegant and understated — a favorite for weddings and quiet, formal arrangements.

Color: Creamy white · Bloom: Early · Fragrance: Light, sweet · Form: Double, globe-shaped

Sarah Bernhardt — The Classic Pink

If you imagine a peony, you’re probably imagining Sarah Bernhardt. A fully double soft-pink bloom with a sweet, rose-like fragrance, named for the famous French actress and a garden favorite since 1906. Lush, ruffled, and romantic, she’s the quintessential peony — and a late-season bloomer, typically flowering from late May into June here in Minnesota.

Color: Soft pink · Bloom: Late · Fragrance: Strong, sweet · Form: Fully double

Karl Rosenfield — The Dramatic Red

For depth and drama, nothing on our farm matches Karl Rosenfield. Introduced in 1908, this heritage variety produces large, semi-double to double blooms in a rich, saturated crimson, carried on strong stems that hold up beautifully in a vase. It flowers in the mid-to-late season and pairs stunningly with whites and soft pinks — the classic anchor for a bold arrangement.

Color: Deep crimson · Bloom: Mid–late · Fragrance: Mild · Form: Double

A peony cut this morning opens fuller, holds longer, and smells the way a peony is supposed to smell.

The Coral Collection

Then there are the corals — two of the most sought-after peonies in the world, and the hardest to source. We grow both in limited quantities, and they’re unlike anything else in the field.

Coral Charm — The Color-Shifter

A semi-double peony that opens deep coral-peach and gradually fades to soft apricot and cream as it ages. Each stem becomes a moving color study over its vase life — no two days look the same. One of the most photographed peonies in modern wedding work, and famously difficult to find. Coral Charm is an early-season bloomer. Read more about Coral Charm →

Color: Coral → apricot → cream · Bloom: Early · Form: Semi-double

Coral Sunset — The Sunset Bloom

The deeper, warmer sister to Coral Charm. Coral Sunset holds richer coral-orange tones, and holds its saturation longer. The color reads almost tropical — remarkable for a peony grown in Minnesota. Award-winning, equally rare in the cut-flower market, and also an early-season bloom. Read more about Coral Sunset →

Color: Warm coral-orange · Bloom: Early · Form: Semi-double

How the Season Unfolds

Peonies don’t all bloom at once — and that’s part of the pleasure of growing named varieties. The season opens with the early bloomers (Duchess de Nemours and the corals), moves through the mid-season crimson of Karl Rosenfield, and finishes with Sarah Bernhardt’s pink doubles late in the run. Across our Eagan and Wadena farms, that sequence stretches the peony window from late May through June, so there’s nearly always something at its peak.

Planning a wedding or a larger event? Our coral and heirloom varieties are favorites for spring and early-summer celebrations — learn more about peonies for weddings & events, or get in touch to talk through what’s blooming when.