Coral Charm peony: A vibrant peachy semi-double variety

Coral Charm peonies are one of the most popular peonies in the garden centers over the last few years – and for good reason!

Coral Charm peony is a peach-coral peony cultivar with large, bowl-shaped semi-double flowers. 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.

Read on to learn all about Coral Charm peonies.

Coral Charm peony: The 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. Samuel Wissing also bred this popular Coral Sunset peony around the same time.

The Coral Charm is a semi-double type of peony with blooms that are 5″-7″ 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 peony plants grow to be about 36″ tall. When the roots become well-established, the foliage can cover a spread of 24″-36″ wide. 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.

What type of peonies are Coral Charm peonies?

The Coral Charm Peony (Paeonia ‘Coral Charm’) are herbaceous perennial peony plant with semi-double peony flowers that bloom late midseason.

Peony blooms come in six main flower types: Single, Anemone, Japanese, Semi-Double, Bombe, and Full Double. Peonies like Coral Charm which are considered to be semi-double have more petal bulk than single-petal varieties, but not as many interior transformed petals as a full double bloom.

Peony plants come in three main types: tree, herbaceous, and intersectional. Coral Charm peonies are herbaceous peonies, so they’re perennials with foliage that will die in late fall. Even though foliage dies back, the roots remain alive while dormant in the earth and will sprout new stems in early spring.

How to plant & grow Coral Charm peonies?

Coral Charm peonies are most commonly sold as bare root plants but are sometimes available as potted peony plants 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 direct sunlight 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 peony plants:

Coral charm peonies prefer full sunlight. In areas with extreme heat, partial shade could be beneficial. For the most part, however, these peonies enjoy the warm, bright sun.

These peonies need one inch of water per week. It is important to not under or overwater them. When given too much water, fungal diseases are more common and they become susceptible to pest infestations. Underwatering 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 plant.

How far apart to plant these peonies

Plant coral charm 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. Without enough air circulation, the disease is sure to develop.

How tall do Coral Charm peonies grow?

Coral charm peonies reach up to 3 feet in height. This is average for all types of peonies as they all reach a fairly consistent height. It is not common for coral charm peonies to reach above four feet.

When do Coral Charm peonies bloom?

Coral Charm peonies are late midseason bloomers, tending to bloom during the end of spring or the beginning of summer. The most common time for blooming is very early June, however, they could end up blooming at the end of May, or in the middle of June. They will then continue blooming for about one week.

Because coral charms are herbaceous peonies, they will bloom without much effort. Although coral charm peonies have ideal conditions, they do not need much from their gardener. They will likely grow in any condition, as long as it is not too extreme.

Stem support for Coral Charm peonies

Because of the floriferous nature of peony plants, it is recommended that you install some sort of support system for peony 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.