Here are some examples of companion plants for peonies. I love the daylilies in front, that start blooming after the peonies are done.














Finally, Salmon Dream that blooms at the same time as my pink daffodils.

Love, love, love your garden beds Annette. Thanks for sharing.

You have the best garden beds, Annette!

Cem9165 said:Here are some examples of companion plants for peonies. I love the daylilies in front, that start blooming after the peonies are done.














Finally, Salmon Dream that blooms at the same time as my pink daffodils.

What a treat to see these beautiful garden shots this morning! Can't wait to see what your future garden looks like! After getting a taste of the above, I bet it will be spectacular! Will you be using a software to help plan out your new garden, Annette? Do you have a theme that you will be incorporating into the new layout?

Thanks LG, Liz, and Karen!

Karen, I'm writing notes on my IPad for the colors of plants that I would like to combine. I have no theme, and I haven't thought about using any software for garden design. I'll have to do some research and see what's out there. Is there any particular software that you use?

Annette's garden looks like paradise! I am curious if there is a software for a garden design.

What is the clematis growing on? Does it also grow on the ground?

I grow the smaller clematis on metal trellises. The larger ones are growing on the fence.

Iris , lupine, columbine ...pink peonies in rt background... from my landscape photos for better pic see my landscape section shows more detail.

You say you are especially interested in companions that bloom after the peonies. The perennials in my garden that fit that description are hollyhock, lily (day, asiatic, orienpet, and trumpet), shasta daisy, snow daisy, centranthus ruber (this blooms all summer), echinacea, rose, speedwell, catmint, salvia, hardy geranium (cranesbill), lady's mantle, and russian sage. Many of these begin their bloom season with peonies, then extend for several weeks.
Penstemon, such as huskers red, looks good after blooms are spent, so that might be something to consider. How about some perennial grasses? There are also many annuals that would bloom at that time, such as bachelor's button. I wish I could find the photo of a nice grouping of peony, hardy geranium, penstemon, and siberian iris.

The problem I have is companion plants (all mentioned above) are loved by deer and get destroyed.

i haven't checked back on this thread in a few days but just had to chime in to agree that Annette's gardens are a true thing of beauty. thank you so much for sharing

Nice companion plants bumplbea and Cosette!

Thank you all for your kind words about my garden! I enjoy combining the different plants based on their blooms and heights. In the future, I would like to add plants based on the color and textures of their leaves, to add more interest to the garden.

@PutteringinIdaho Thanks for a great list of plants, Cosette! My challenge is to find plants that will bloom or cover bare spots after I cut off the foliage of the peonies when they start looking ratty. Do you know of any annuals that can be planted in July/August and grow fast to cover a good area by September?

Hmm, now there's a challenge Karen! I first thought about asters and mums, but I don't have experience with them. I would reach for hardy geraniums with a later bloom (Rozanne) it goes berserk in July-September. It has tons of visual coverage, but is lacy enough not to be offensive to the plants in spreads over. What do you think?

Cosette

@PutteringinIdaho I did try to use mums to cover bare spots of peonies. Some spread so fast that they are encroaching on the peonies! Some are so weak and can't take off in growth during the summer under established peonies. I think both aster and mums can work if strategically placed. That's the trick! I agree about hardy geranium though I think I will pass on Rozanne. That plant is a thug! It is rather hard to do combine planting when your beds are predominantly peonies. I am currently attempting on a bed where I incorporate tree, itoh, and herbaceous peonies from early to late to get a constant blooming bed for 6 weeks. I am thinking of interplanting zinnias in mid June into the areas around the early blooming peonies so that by August they will start blooming. Then I can cut off the foliage of the early blooming peonies which should go dormant by then.

When you do a mixed border, to try to get the flowering at about the same time, I would suggest that in spring, you ride around a neighborhood near you, to see what is flowering in someone elses yard & plan to add those particular plants. Some Iris are earlier, mid season & later flowering. But you can try for some blue & purples, to complement the pinks & reds of the peonies. The white peonies, can complement just about any other color. For yellow peonies, it is blues to becomplementary...
There are plenty of other true geranium cultivars & the same goes for Penstemons, besides what is offered in catalogues. You might try some from seeds. I like Shasta Daisy & there are plenty of varieties, these days. But, do check out what is growing nearby your area, for annuals & perennials that are in bloom, just before, especially during & immediately afterwards as doing that, may help the most in your decision on which flowers to get locally, order in autumn, or seeds to sow.. Because, in different zones, other flowers tend to bloom at different times...

Very good advice, Shawn. For example, down here Delphiniums do not do well! Nor do foxgloves.

Always wanted foxgloves, but probably will skip those as some gardeners do not recommend them here as well. Oh, well, may be I will try them anyway with not too much hope

Foxgloves are gorgeous, they grow wild around DH's family's fishing cottage in MI. Too dry for them here in CO.