Plant Finder

Moana Nursery High Desert Plant Finder & Guide

Description:

Large apple blossom pink double flowers that appear late in the season. Free blooming. Prefers rich, well-drained soil. Performs best with a pronounced period of winter chill. Attracts hummingbirds and butterflies. Good cut flower.

Ornamental Features

Sarah Bernhardt Peony features bold fragrant shell pink flowers at the ends of the stems from late spring to early summer. The flowers are excellent for cutting. Its compound leaves remain green in color throughout the season.

Landscape Attributes

Sarah Bernhardt Peony is an herbaceous perennial with a more or less rounded form. Its medium texture blends into the garden, but can always be balanced by a couple of finer or coarser plants for an effective composition.

This is a high maintenance plant that will require regular care and upkeep, and should be cut back in late fall in preparation for winter. It is a good choice for attracting butterflies and hummingbirds to your yard, but is not particularly attractive to deer who tend to leave it alone in favor of tastier treats. Gardeners should be aware of the following characteristic(s) that may warrant special consideration;

• Disease

Sarah Bernhardt Peony is recommended for the following landscape applications;

• Mass Planting
• General Garden Use

Planting & Growing

Sarah Bernhardt Peony will grow to be about 30 inches tall at maturity, with a spread of 3 feet. When grown in masses or used as a bedding plant, individual plants should be spaced approximately 30 inches apart. The flower stalks can be weak and so it may require staking in exposed sites or excessively rich soils. It grows at a slow rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for approximately 20 years. As an herbaceous perennial, this plant will usually die back to the crown each winter, and will regrow from the base each spring. Be careful not to disturb the crown in late winter when it may not be readily seen!

This plant should only be grown in full sunlight. It prefers to grow in average to moist conditions, and shouldn't be allowed to dry out. It may require supplemental watering during periods of drought or extended heat. It is not particular as to soil pH, but grows best in rich soils. It is somewhat tolerant of urban pollution. Consider applying a thick mulch around the root zone in both summer and winter to conserve soil moisture and protect it in exposed locations or colder microclimates. This particular variety is an interspecific hybrid. It can be propagated by division; however, as a cultivated variety, be aware that it may be subject to certain restrictions or prohibitions on propagation.