Coral Charm peony is a peach-coral peony cultivar with large, semi-double, bowl-shaped blooms. This variety blooms early in the peony season with a lovely fragrant bloom. Plants grow about 36″ tall, with an overall foliage width of 24″-36″ wide.
The Coral Charm peony was bred in the USA by Samuel Wissing in 1964. Coral Charm peony is a hybrid Paeonia cultivar.
Coral Charm peony basics
Coral Charm peonies were introduced by famed peony breeder Samuel Wissing in 1964. The Coral Charm peony received the American Peony Society Gold Metal in 1986 and went on to receive the RHS Award of Garden Merit in 2012 by the American Peony Society. Samuel Wissing also bred this popular Coral Sunset peony around the same time.
The Coral Charm is a semi-double type of peony with 5″-7″ blooms wide. The petals on the outside are wide and cupped, while the inner petals are narrow and more pointed. The lovely fragrance makes these flowers gorgeous in the garden, perfect for pollinators, and lovely as cut flowers in bouquets.
Coral Charm peonies grow to be about 36″ tall. When the peony roots become well-established, the foliage can cover a 24″-36″ wide area. The glossy dark green foliage is highly ornamental, turning yellow-red in the fall. Coral Charm peonies are common because of how easy they are to care for and because of how attractive they are.
Classification
The Coral Charm peony (Paeonia ‘Coral Charm’) is a herbaceous perennial peony plant with semi-double peony flowers that bloom late midseason. Peonies like Coral Charm, considered semi-double, have more petal bulk than single-petal varieties but not as many interior transformed petals as a full double bloom.
How to plant peonies
Coral Charm peonies are most commonly sold as bare root plants but are sometimes available as potted peonies at local nurseries in the spring.
Plant the Coral Charm peonies in an area where the soil drains water easily and where the leaves of the plant can receive full sun for 6-8 hours per day. Bare root peonies should be planted with the “eyes” (buds) at a depth of 1″, facing upwards. Here are videos showing how to plant both bare-root peonies and potted peonies:
Coral charm peonies prefer full sun. In areas with extreme heat, partial shade could be beneficial. For the most part, however, these peonies enjoy the warm, bright full sun.
The peony roots need one inch of water per week. It is important not to under or overwater them. When given too much water, fungal diseases are more common, and they become susceptible to pest infestations. Underwatering the peony roots however, will result in the plant not being able to survive. Consistent and frequent watering is crucial. Just make sure you are not drowning the new plants.
Plant peonies three feet apart from one another. You will not want to plant them closer together because then you will run into issues with the moisture. Not giving them enough room will result in poor air circulation.
Stem support for Coral Charm peonies
Because of the floriferous nature of peonies, it is recommended that you install some sort of support system for these plants, such as grow-through peony rings.
Since the flowers are typically so large, full, and heavy, they can tend to droop (especially after a good rainstorm and water has collected on the flowers’ many petals). The stems can snap under the weight or simply droop so far that the flowers rest on the ground and rot.
Pruning Coral Charm peony
Coral Charm peonies need minimal pruning. After the flowers bloom, remove spent blooms so they don’t weigh down the stems as they droop over. Try not to remove leaves while deadheading. The leaves help the plant grow strong enough to survive the cold winters.
That said, any damaged stems or leaves can be removed to help keep the plant looking tidy. In late fall, once the foliage has turned yellow-red, cut the stems down to a few inches above the ground. Read more about when to cut back peonies.
