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Benjamin Franklin Peony

Paeonia lactiflora Benjamin Franklin

$18.65
$18.65
per Bag of 1
Sale |
ZONES  4-9 | Good to grow! Zone

Lightly fragrant, ‘Benjamin Franklin' Peony's deep-red double blossoms join the parade just as other peonies are fading in early summer. Perfect for cut flowers, the large outer petals cradle delicate inner petals for sumptuous blooms that star in the yard or in a flower vase. Long-lived, a peony will thrive for decades. (Paeonia lactiflora)

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Benjamin Franklin Peony

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Description

24-36" tall x 24-36" wide. Early summer, free flowering extravagance! Peony ‘Benjamin Franklin’ blooms in June with abundant crimson-red blossoms. The double flowers unfold, inviting admiration with their gentle sweet scent. Peonies are great as cut flowers. Snip when the buds are well formed and watch them unfold. Very cold hardy and deer resistant, plant in well-drained, compost enriched soil in a sunny location. Don’t crowd peonies, good air circulation keeps them healthy and happy. Peonies live for 50 years or more, rewarding you with decades of beautiful flowers. The dark green glossy foliage adds a stately presence throughout the season. Trim off spent blooms, and clean up wilted foliage as the season ends. They will send up new shoots in the spring. 

Planting & Care

Planting Peonies

Adding peonies to your garden is easy. Plant in full sun in most regions. In colder regions, planting peonies in shade will result in weak stems and less flowers. In warmer regions or where spring is hot and dry, choose a site with afternoon shade. Plant in average or well-draining loamy soil. Peonies prefer soil that provide moisture, but isn’t water logged. Add compost if needed before planting.

Planting Steps for Herbaceous and Intersectional (Itoh) Peonies

  1. Choose a site with well-drained soil away from any competing roots. Peonies thrive if left to grow undisturbed in the same location for years.
  2. Dig a hole 12" wide and the length of the roots. This is the time to add any compost in the bottom of the hole. Plant the roots 1" to 2" below the soil level with the eyes (buds) pointing up. If you are planting more than one, plant 2-3 feet apart to allow enough space. If planted too deep, the peony will lack blossoms. Visit our planting guide for a detailed description
  3. Slowly back-fill around the roots, not allowing any air pockets, adding pressure to compact the soil.
  4. Once planted, gently water around the plant. Add a light mulch or chopped leaves to reduce weeds and to regulate soil temperature and moisture. Water every day for 5 days in the morning or evening, unless it rains or there is lots of moisture. Be sure not to over water, as the roots will rot.

Planting Tree Peonies

Planting tree peonies is different than herbaceous and intersectional itoh peonies.

  1. Choose a site with well-drained soil away from any competing roots. Tree peonies thrive if left to grow undisturbed in the same location for years.
  2. Dig a hole the length of the roots roughly 2 feet deep and dig it wide enough to accommodate the roots with some room to grow, roughly 1 foot wide. This is the time to add any compost in the bottom of the hole. If you are planting more than one, plant 2-3 feet apart to allow enough space.
  3. Slowly back-fill around the roots, not allowing any air pockets, adding pressure to compact the soil.
  4. Once planted, gently water around the plant. Water when needed, the best practice is when the soil has dried out and or it hasn't rained. Tree peonies need water to generate root growth, but if over watered, they will rot.

Aftercare

The first year of growing peonies, expect the roots to products 2-5 leave shoots and 1-2 flowers. Year two brings a plant double the size and double the blossoms. By the fourth or fifth year peonies will be full and bushy, with lots of foliage and blossoms.

Staking

Itoh and tree peonies don't require staking, but most herbaceous peony once established, produce heavy flowers that often are too heavy for its stems. You don't have to stake them, but if you don't, you're going to have big beautiful flowers nodding down. So once you have a healthy clump, use peony rings to keep them upright. The rings are simply wheel-like wire arrangements that stand up over the peony like a little wire table as the plant sprouts in the spring. With upright supports, the peony ring is placed so the shoots will grow up through the round wire bale. Of course, the foliage quickly hides the ring, and you have a beautifully-supported clump well before the flowers open. Where to find Peony Rings? We recommend Gardeners Supply.

Pruning/Trimming

For herbaceous and (itoh) intersectional peonies after blooms have passed, clip expired blooms down to the where the foliage meets the stem. Leave the foliage for the remainder of the growing season. As fall arrive and temperatures cool, the leaves will turn yellow and then wilt. For herbaceous peonies trim back all foliage to about 3" from the ground. This keeps the plant tidy and allows new growth to come up without damaging it. In the fall itoh peonies need to be treated similarly to herbaceous and tree peonies since they are a hybrid of both. Once the plant has matured its best to trim back so that the herbaceous portion of the stem is removed and the hard wood portion remains. Its best to leave the peonies alone in there first year of growing so that you tell the difference between the herbaceous green stem from the hard wood portion as the leaves die back. Usually, mature itoh peonies will leave 4-5 inches of hard wood above ground.

Tree peonies require different trimming techniques. Cut the stem just below the expired blooms. If you trim the stem to far, it will hinder next year's growth. This years green shoots will become next years woody branch. So in the fall, do not trim back or cut to the ground, leave the shrub as is. If you have a mature tree peony and it needs shaping, the best time to prune, is right after it blooms. Make sure to not take to much off the tree as it can really hurt the shrub.

Fertilizer

Peonies don’t need to be fertilized every year. Its best to plant them with plenty of nutrients. Apply bonemeal, compost or well-rotted manure in early summer, after peonies have bloomed every couple of years.

Further Reading:

Shipping

As soon as your order is placed you will receive a confirmation email. You will receive a second email the day your order ships telling you how it has been sent. Some perennials are shipped as potted plants, some as perennial roots packed in peat.  The ‘Plant Information’ section describes how that item will ship. All perennials and fall-planted bulbs are packaged to withstand shipping and are fully-guaranteed. Please open upon receipt and follow the instructions included.

Perennials and fall-planted bulbs are shipped at the proper planting time for your Growing Zone. Perennial and fall-planted bulb orders will arrive separately from seeds. If your order requires more than one shipment and all items are shipping to the same address, there is no additional shipping charge. See our shipping information page for approximate ship dates and more detailed information. If you have any questions, please call Customer Service at (802) 227-7200 or contact us by email or chat.

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key features

Advantages
  • Bee Friendly
  • Deer Resistant
  • Rabbit Resistant
  • Cut Flowers
  • Fragrant
  • Mass Plantings
Light Requirements
  • Full Sun
Bloom Time
Late spring to early summer

Additional information

Planting Time
  • Fall
Soil Moisture
  • Average
Soil Type
  • Loamy Soil
  • Well-Drained Soil
Mature Height
24-36" tall
Mature Spread
24-36" wide
Planting Depth
1-2" deep with pinkish eyes (buds) pointing up
Growth Rate
Slow
Growing Zones
  • Zone 4
  • Zone 5
  • Zone 6
  • Zone 7
  • Zone 8
  • Zone 9
Neonicotinoid Free
Yes
Non-GMO
No
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