Hello All. It's been suggested that we start a thread so everyone can post their most fragrant peonies. I'm HORRIBLE about checking--I admit that I go for looks rather than fragrance for the most part, but am planning to pay more attention this spring.

The one that jumps to mind for me is Angel Cheeks. I didn't have this in my garden until fall 2014 and it hasn't bloomed for me yet but my daughter saw it at the APS convention 2014 and actually hounded me into buying her cut flowers of it because she thought it smelled so good! I know there are some good pics of AC so if anyone can add a comment and pic that would be wonderful....

Please add on your favorites!

Thanks for starting this thread, Liz! I would love to know which ones of everyone's peonies have the most pleasing fragrance. Last year, the four standouts for me were Myrtle Gentry, Mrs. FDR, and these two noids which consistently give nice fragrance every year.

I suspect this one noid is White Cap.


The other NOID which I bought as Eden's Perfume does not seem to be as pink as the pics shown on the web for Eden's Perfume. I don't really know if I have the real Eden's Perfume or something else. It has a very nice fragrance.

Great topic for this thread Liz, as Karen states, thanks for starting it.

A fragrant peony that stands out in my mind is Walter Faxon. It's listed on different sites that it's mildly fragrant but here in GA, it's got the most delightful scent. Here's my pic from last spring.

I have 'Vivid Rose' and the fragrance is fantastic. Looking forward to finding out others that have great fragrance

Oh wow, what an adorable statue! I love how it shows off your peonies, Terri.

I think different areas bring out different intensity of scents and may even have different smells. Unfortunately, my Walter Faxon peony had little or no scents during all the years I have it. Wish mine get some scents like yours, Annette.

I also would like to add some of the worst smelling peonies for me are Coral Charm, Duchess de Nemours, and Bartzella. They don't have very appealing fragrance, IMHO.

I agree Karen, not all fragrant peonies have pleasant scents. I'm sorry to hear that your WF didn't have any fragrance.

I tend to order peonies that have full blooms and listed as having a fragrance. I can't wait to see how this list progresses. I'll be stuffing my face into my blooms this spring so that I can add to this thread .

Here is the info on Hidden Springs new introduction that is listed as Very Fragrant!

http://www.swensongardens.com/...
Swenson's Bloom Time page also indicates Fragrance on the varieties. This is a great resource. Itohs are Bold.
I found it interesting that they indicate 'Bess Bockstoce' is fragrant while 'Roseheart' is not. Some people like to say they are one and the same.

Karen, I agree about Bartzella. It is described as fragrant on many sites and does have lemony notes, but there is a funk there too

LG, there is a thread about Bess Bockstoce/Roseheart here from last year, a fairly long discussion that was pretty interesting. Last time I looked it still said on the APS Peony Database that they were one and the same. Brooks Gardens has a bit about it along with a pic of Bess Bockstoce in their blog http://www.brooksgardens.com/b... and I'm pretty sure they also said that they have both varieties, unfortunately they don't have both for sale at the same time right now! I have both of the varieties that had the name confusion, honestly can't say if either is fragrant!

I did purchase Romantic Lace fall 2014 from Hidden Springs but it didn't bloom last year. I got it specifically for the fragrance so I'm hoping it'll be nice.

I'm smelling every single variety that blooms this spring so I can contribute to this string! :Pleasant scent is subjective to a point of course but I think it'll be very interesting to hear how the different varieties perform in different areas. Isn't the scent supposed to be most distinct fairly early in the morning? That's when I'll do my sniffing..... And I'll post pics of each since I'm sure I have some that are mislabeled.

Tracey, after this spring is there any way to get a listing of these fragrant peonies as well as those with adventitious (sorry, know I murdered that spelling!) roots added as a sticky?

Great idea Liz!

Here's another site that lists which peonies have fragrance, and I also like that they list who originated the plant and when, along with nice pictures. The site provides some nice info:

biological description (e.g. whether it is a hybrid or a Paeonia lactifolia cultivar)
who originated the cultivar and when (e.g. Roger F. Anderson, 1986)
flower form (e.g. single, double, semi-double, and so forth)
colour
flowering season (e.g. early, midseason, or late, with respect to peony blooming time)
height
if it is floriferous (i.e. has side buds)
if it is fragrant

http://www.theplantexpert.com/...

I reviewed the list from Swenson's, ( thanks LG for posting the link), and I have 27 plants from the list, with 14 of them being fragrant :hurray:.

I think some of the most fragrant peonies originated from France. Love Festiva Maxima smell.



Itohs, on the other hand, are not impressive.

Please also list your favorite fragrant tree peonies here. I understand that some tree peonies smell really good.

Hi Liz, I bought 'Bess Bockstoce' from Brooks this past Fall, hoping it will be the true one. I have 'RoseHeart' from both Adelman's and EBay . Hopefully all three plants will bloom this Spring for comparison. Here is my 'Roseheart' .


I have several old tree peonies that were sold in boxes with only colors named. One of them has a fabulous rose fragrance. I will post photos of it this Spring.

LG, this is what I have as Rose Heart


And this is what was sold to me as Bess Bockstoce


I really don't know which one is right. The one I have labeled as Rose Heart fades from the outside in--the middle stays dark. This pic shows it better but still not the best example.

Thanks Liz,
I am going to take more photos of my peonies this year. I will try to capture the fading of my 'Roseheart'.
I looked in my photos, and I didn't even take a photo of it in 2015.
Yours is very lovely!

Me as well, LG. I'm hoping for a really good spring.....lots of pictures....and NO HAIL or SNOW after 1 May!

I will try to be better about participating in this forum this year. I really need to catalog all my peonies and when I do so I'll try to note the level of fragrance. I have several peony in pots healed in my veggie garden and so I will be building a new flower bed this year or expanding existing ones or both.

Do you leave your potted peonies outside all winter or store them somewhere protected, Diann?