What is this gorgeous flower

Murphybear

I was shopping yesterday evening in Waitrose and there was a vase with some of these in customer services.  I asked a member of staff what they were and where could I get one.  Sadly he didn’t know.  I carried on shopping and the lovely man came up to me with this and presented it to me as a gift.  I think it is a peony but don’t know what variety

Ashworks

How lovely of him! Yes it is a peony. It's hard to tell the variety as there are lots of red ones, but try the RHS plant ID app.

Dustyevsky

Maybe one of these:
https://www.kelways.co.uk/peonies/containerised-herbaceous-intersectional-tree-peonies/herbaceous-peonies/c1594
Like Red Charm?

twopenny

Peonies are gorgeous - they only bloom for a short time and take a long time for the plant to get established enough to produce anything like a display so you have to really love them to find a place in the garden for them.

I've seen them for sale in morrisons though they wern't that big. Garden centre will have them in flower and bigger but forced into flower so it may not do quite so florisively the following year.

Kelways that Dusty posted are specialists in peonies and irises.

I had on 50yrs old and amazing. When I sold the house they put breeze blocks on top of it 

Murphybear

Thanks for this.  Yes, I think it could be Red Charm.  

Annemos

How lovely. I have also just bought similar from Sainsburys. As the season is so short, I always treat myself to several bunches from there or M and S. I always make sure they are starting to open. (Sometimes if the buds are too tight, they do not open properly.) My niece always gives me an M and S voucher for my April birthday, specifically for buying them round about now. 

Peonies are my favourite flower. I used to work in Eastern Europe and over there, the peonies grow so well in people's gardens in the countryside. (Almost like "weeds".) Absolutely stunning. The older ladies would come into the central railway station with armfuls of them; every weekend in the season, I would go to the station and buy several flowers from them. 

When I returned home in about 2001, I purchased a set of three corms from M and S. They were three different varieties of pink ones. I planted them together in a row. They are now wonderful and because there are three types, their flowering is staggered and lasts for a longer period. There is one single variety and the bees go crazy for it and roll about in the pollen as if they are going mad. They emerge covered in it. 

If you decide to plant some, you can check on-line. But the secret is, not too plant deeply. Also I put a dressing of bone-meal on in the Autumn. 

I hope you will continue to enjoy them as much as me. They really punctuate my year and I look forward to them immensely. 


Oh there is another fascinating one you might see on sale as cut flowers.... it goes from a Salmon pink when it is first open and then goes through to a creamy colour as it ages.  

ka7e

Annemos said:

Oh there is another fascinating one you might see on sale as cut flowers.... it goes from a Salmon pink when it is first open and then goes through to a creamy colour as it ages.  

I think this is "Coral Charm" - I've planted a corm recently and it has just put up a couple of shoots. I'm not expecting much of a show for a few years!

marzipan.

I have a peony that I bought as a tuber just before the first lockdown and it’s thrived last year & this but was puzzled by it’s colour seemingly fading this last week. Then I read the comment about about a variety that changes colours.  

marzipan.

The first photo was taken last Tuesday 30/5/23 and the 2nd was taken just this evening. 💖

Annemos

That is really dramatic. It must indeed be the Coral Charm. M and S is where I have seen the cut flowers in previous years. 

sleepymans

Peonies are beautiful and blowsy...but their season is short and they are great as cut flowers.....best in a border in the garden