Is Peony deer resistant?
Paeonia lactiflora
Toxic to cats and dogs if eaten
About Peony
Deer sample the buds occasionally and almost never damage an established clump. Peonies outlive the people who plant them, and a healthy crown will still be flowering in fifty years. Two rules decide whether yours flowers at all. Plant the eyes no more than two inches below the surface, because a peony set too deep produces leaves and nothing else, indefinitely, and that is the single most common reason for a non-flowering plant. And give it full sun. The ants on the buds are not a problem and not doing anything useful either. They are after the sugar the bud exudes and they leave when it opens. Do not spray them. Support the doubles before they need it. Once a heavy flower head has been rained on and hit the ground, staking will not lift it back.
Soil and care
- Soil pH
- 6.5 to 7.5
- Drainage
- Well drained
- Water
- Moderate
- Fertility
- Moderate
- Spacing
- 35 to 47 in apart
- Growth rate
- Slow
- Maintenance
- Low
Tolerances and uses
- Drought
- Moderate
- Salt
- Low
- Pollinators
- Moderate
Similar to Peony
Other perennials with the same deer rating.
- Anise HyssopAgastache sp.Zones 4–9, genus rangeRarely damaged
- Basket of GoldAurinia saxatilisZones 3–7Rarely damaged
- Bearded IrisIris germanicaZones 3–9Rarely damaged
- Bigleaf GoldenrayLigularia dentataZones 4–8Rarely damaged
- Bleeding HeartLamprocapnos spectabilisZones 3–9Rarely damaged
- Butter and EggsLinaria vulgarisZones 3–9Rarely damaged
Where Peony grows
Hardy across most of these 50 states on zone range alone. Mountain and coastal areas sit outside the ranges used here, so check your own zone before ordering.
- Pennsylvania
- New Jersey
- New York
- Connecticut
- Massachusetts
- Virginia
- Maryland
- Michigan
- Wisconsin
- Ohio
- Indiana
- Illinois
- Minnesota
- Missouri
- North Carolina
- Tennessee
- Georgia
- Texas
- Colorado
- California
- Oregon
- Washington
- New Hampshire
- Vermont
- Maine
- Rhode Island
- Delaware
- West Virginia
- Kentucky
- South Carolina
- Florida
- Alabama
- Mississippi
- Louisiana
- Arkansas
- Oklahoma
- Kansas
- Nebraska
- Iowa
- North Dakota
- South Dakota
- Montana
- Wyoming
- Idaho
- Utah
- Nevada
- Arizona
- New Mexico
- Alaska
- District of Columbia
Browse from here
Every list Peony belongs to.
Hardy in these zones
Common questions about Peony
- Is Peony deer resistant?
- Peony (Paeonia lactiflora) is rated Rarely Damaged on the Rutgers NJAES four-tier scale. Deer almost always leave this alone.
- What hardiness zones does Peony grow in?
- Peony is hardy in USDA zones 3 to 8. Outside that range it will either not survive winter or will struggle with summer heat.
- Does Peony grow in shade?
- No. Peony wants full sun and will grow thin and flop in shade.
- How big does Peony get?
- Mature height is roughly 24–35 in. Growth rate is slow.
- When does Peony bloom?
- Peony flowers from May–June.
- Is Peony toxic to dogs or cats?
- Yes. The ASPCA lists Peony as toxic to cats, dogs, and horses. Site it away from where animals graze, or choose something else if you have a dog that chews.