Sarah Bernhardt Peony Bareroot – 2-3 Eye, Pink Double Blooms, Fragrant

Overview

Introduce a touch of classic elegance to your landscape with the Sarah Bernhardt Peony bareroot. This beloved herbaceous perennial, scientifically known as Paeonia lactiflora ‘Sarah Bernhardt’, is celebrated for its breathtakingly beautiful and exceptionally large, double light pink blooms. Each flower can reach an impressive 7 to 9 inches in diameter, occasionally flecked with subtle raspberry streaks, creating a truly dramatic visual impact. The Sarah Bernhardt Peony bareroot is a time-honored favorite, gracing gardens and vases for over a century with its unforgettable fragrance and showy display. It’s an ideal choice for gardeners seeking a reliable, long-lived plant that delivers spectacular results year after year, transforming any garden space into a vibrant floral paradise.

This award-winning plant is renowned for its vigorous growth and ease of care, making it suitable for both experienced gardeners and those new to growing peonies. When planted as a pink peony plant, it quickly establishes itself, rewarding you with an abundance of flowers that begin to emerge in late spring and continue for several weeks into early summer. Its robust nature and striking appearance make it a cornerstone in perennial beds, foundation plantings, and cottage gardens, ensuring a grand entrance to the warmer months.

Key Benefits

The Sarah Bernhardt Peony bareroot offers a multitude of benefits that make it a highly desirable addition to any garden. Its enduring popularity is a testament to its exceptional qualities.

• Stunning Double Blooms: Enjoy gigantic 7 to 9-inch double peony blooms in a luscious light pink hue, often with delicate raspberry flecks. These magnificent blooms are the epitome of garden elegance, bringing vibrant color and texture to your outdoor spaces.
• Unforgettable Fragrance: Each flower releases a sweet, captivating fragrance that will enchant your garden and fill your home when used as a cut flower. The fragrant peony is a sensory delight, creating a truly immersive garden experience.
• Long-Lasting Cut Flowers: The robust stems and full blooms make ‘Sarah Bernhardt’ an excellent choice for floral arrangements, providing weeks of beauty indoors. Its impressive vase life ensures lasting enjoyment.
• Award-Winning Variety: Recognized for its superior performance and beauty, this peony is a proven classic that consistently delivers a spectacular show. Its accolades speak to its reliability and aesthetic appeal.
• Low Maintenance & Easy to Grow: Despite its opulent appearance, this outdoor peony is surprisingly easy to care for, thriving with minimal intervention once established. It’s a perfect choice for gardeners seeking high reward with low effort.
• Disease and Pest Resistant: ‘Sarah Bernhardt’ exhibits good resistance to common peony ailments, ensuring a healthy and vibrant plant. This resilience contributes to its ease of care and longevity in the garden.
• Deer Resistant: A great choice for gardens where deer might be an issue, as they tend to leave peonies untouched. This natural resistance protects your beautiful blooms from common garden pests.

Plant Care & Growing Tips

Proper care is essential to ensure your Sarah Bernhardt Peony bareroot thrives and produces its spectacular blooms. Peonies are long-lived plants, and with the right conditions, they can grace your garden for decades. For optimal growth and abundant flowering, plant your pink peony plant in a location that receives full sun to light shade. In the deeper Southern States, some afternoon shade can be beneficial to protect the blooms from intense heat. Peonies require at least 6 hours of direct sunlight daily to produce the best flowers. The soil should be well-draining, rich in organic matter, and have a neutral to slightly alkaline pH. When planting the bareroot, it is crucial not to plant it deeper than 2 inches of soil on top of the ‘eyes’ (growth buds). Planting too deep is a common cause of poor blooming. Ensure the planting hole is wide enough to accommodate the roots without bending them.

Watering should be consistent, especially during dry spells and in the first year after planting. Aim for deep watering sessions rather than frequent shallow ones to encourage deep root growth. Once established, peonies are relatively drought-tolerant but will benefit from supplemental watering during prolonged dry periods. Fertilize in early spring with a balanced slow-release fertilizer or a specific peony fertilizer. Avoid high-nitrogen fertilizers, which can promote foliage growth at the expense of flowers. Provide adequate air circulation around the plant to prevent fungal diseases. Deadhead spent flowers to maintain a tidy appearance, but leave the foliage intact until it dies back naturally in the fall, as this allows the plant to store energy for the following year’s blooms. For a truly magnificent fragrant peony, consider providing support for the heavy blooms, especially after rain, to prevent them from flopping over.

Size & Details

The Sarah Bernhardt Peony bareroot typically reaches a mature height of 2 to 3 feet with a similar spread, forming a substantial and attractive bush in your garden. This makes it an excellent choice for various settings, from foundation plantings to garden borders and patio gardens. These bareroots are typically 2-3 eye divisions, ensuring a strong start for your new plant and robust growth. Expect vigorous growth and stunning double peony blooms within a few years of planting. The plant ships as a bare root, which allows for easy establishment and reduces transplant shock. Peonies are known for their slow establishment, but once settled, they are incredibly robust and long-lived, providing a century of beauty.

Frequently Asked Questions

• Q: How big does this plant get? A: The Sarah Bernhardt Peony bareroot typically grows to a mature height of 2 to 3 feet and spreads about the same, creating a lovely, rounded bush in your garden. It’s a medium-sized perennial perfect for many garden applications, providing significant visual impact.
• Q: Is this an indoor or outdoor plant? A: This is an outdoor peony, best suited for garden beds, borders, and landscape use. It requires a period of winter chill to properly set its flower buds for the following spring, making it unsuitable for continuous indoor growth.
• Q: How much sunlight does it need? A: The pink peony plant thrives in full sun to light shade. It needs at least 6 hours of direct sunlight daily for the best flowering, especially in cooler climates. In hotter southern regions, some afternoon shade is beneficial to prevent bloom scorching.
• Q: Is this plant easy to care for? A: Yes, ‘Sarah Bernhardt’ is known for being an easy-to-grow and low-maintenance plant once established. Its robust nature makes it a great choice for gardeners of all experience levels who want a stunning fragrant peony without extensive upkeep.
• Q: What condition will it arrive in? A: Your peony will arrive as a Sarah Bernhardt Peony bareroot, meaning it will be dormant and without soil, ready for immediate planting upon arrival. This is the ideal way to plant peonies for successful establishment.
• Q: How long until it blooms? A: While some peonies may produce a few blooms in their first year, it typically takes 2-3 years for a newly planted double peony blooms to establish fully and produce a significant number of flowers. The wait is well worth it for the spectacular display.
• Q: When is the best time to plant a Sarah Bernhardt Peony bareroot? A: The optimal time for planting peony bareroots is in the fall, from late September to late October, as this allows the roots to establish before winter. Spring planting is also possible, especially in zones 3-4, but fall planting is generally preferred for stronger establishment and earlier blooms.
• Q: Will it survive winter in my zone? A: This peony is hardy in USDA Zones 2-8, meaning it can withstand cold winter temperatures in a wide range of climates. Ensure proper planting depth for winter survival and optimal blooming, as this is crucial for its hardiness.
• Q: Why are my peony blooms small or not appearing? A: Common reasons include planting too deep (the most frequent cause), too much shade, an immature plant (needs more time to establish), or improper fertilization (too much nitrogen). Ensuring proper planting depth is key for a lush pink peony plant with abundant flowers.
• Q: Is this peony fragrant? A: Absolutely! The ‘Sarah Bernhardt’ is highly prized for its beautiful, sweet fragrance, making it a wonderful fragrant peony for both garden and vase, adding a delightful aroma to your surroundings.