That first breath of a peony in bloom — powdery sweet, faintly rosy — is exactly what Shirley Temple (*Paeonia lactiflora* ‘Shirley Temple’) delivers every late spring to early summer. Her large, blush-white double flowers deepen in color as the clump matures, meaning your garden genuinely gets better with time.
Plant her bare root in full sun to part sun, in fertile, well-drained soil. The one rule peonies insist on: don’t bury the eyes more than one to two inches below the surface — depth directly affects bloom. She reaches 24–36 inches tall and wide, and handles cold winters well in USDA zones 3–8. Cut stems back to the ground after the first hard frost each fall to keep the clump healthy.
Shirley Temple ships bare root during fall (September through November), the ideal window for root establishment before the ground freezes. A peony planted thoughtfully this fall becomes a garden heirloom.
🍂 Shipping & planting window
Peonies ship in fall (September–November) when fully dormant and bare root.
Fall planting gives roots a full season to establish in warm soil before winter. Cold stratification triggers strong, healthy spring growth and reliable bloom production. Spring-shipped peonies experience root damage during active growth, transplant shock during their bloom cycle, and often lose an entire growing season.
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