When I did a post about my favorite fragrant flowers recently, I can’t believe I overlooked peonies!
I’m always willing to risk a snootful of ants just to get a whiff of the delightful, sweet smell of these puffy flowers.
Many of my favorites (Lily of the Valley, crabapple blossoms, lilacs) are fleeting—they bloom only in the spring. But that’s probably why they smell the sweetest. They need to attract as many pollinating insects as possible in the short amount of time that they bloom.
Peonies are very hardy plants (they thrive in Zones 2-8) that prefer full sun, but because they often start blooming before the trees are fully leafed out in spring you can often get away with planting them in partial-sun conditions.
I planted three more peonies in my backyard last fall. One of them is known for its fragrance, one has flowers that bloom pink and turn white with age and one is a double heirloom named after a Dutch queen. It’s also supposed to be very fragrant and has flowers that vary from pink to fuschia.
Right now the snow pack is still so thick that I can’t even see where my flowerbeds are much less anything peeking out from them. But in about three months the fragrant flowers will be back for us to enjoy once again.