Pink Hawaiian Coral Peony

Pink is a remarkable color, because it covers such a wide range of tones, from bright synthetic pinks to peaches and apricots. The Pink Hawaiian Coral Peony does say ‘pink’, but in fact it is also coral, one of the most beautiful shades of ‘kinda-pink’ there is. Most peonies are like pom-poms, but this one is a delicious bowl of incurved petals, surrounding a heart of glowing yellow, and certainly one of the loveliest of all of these plants – and there are lots to choose from. One of the famous ‘Coral’ hybrid series that brought us the Coral Charm Peony and the Coral Sunset Peony, you could fill a garden just with this series, and be happy. Less well-known but just as lovely, the Pink Hawaiian Coral Peony has a modernity and beauty that fits it perfectly into a modern landscape, even if you thought that peonies were ‘old-fashioned’. Carrying its flowers on strong stems that never need staking and never collapse, this is a landscape peony that also makes a glorious cut flower. The bold divided leaves look great after blooming, and they develop excellent fall colors too. A plant for shrub beds as well as perennial gardens, take a trip to the Pacific while staying at home with this plant.

Growing the Pink Hawaiian Coral Peony

Size and Appearance

The Pink Hawaiian Coral Peony is an herbaceous perennial plant that forms a clump of strong, upright stems rising to 3 feet tall. These have large, glossy leaves divided into several segments, decorated with notched and cut edges. Their strong green color is always attractive and in fall they turn bright shades of oranges, reds and yellows. It is a fast-growing plant, soon maturing to give numerous blossoms, and yet living form many years without the need for any dividing or attention.

Flowers come early, before the main display of most peonies, during May or even earlier in warm zones. They are carried singly on the top of the stems, and despite their large size they are held boldly upright, without any drooping or flopping, and don’t need staking. The large blooms are up to 8 inches across, beginning as a tight bud but opening into a bowl of three rows of full-size petals surrounding a center of many twisted smaller petals. As the flower expands fully it reveals a bright golden heart of many stamens, and as the flower ages the petals pass through lighter pink shades. Truly a flower to savor every day for its annual display of stunning floral beauty. You can cut some stems for a vase, best done when the buds show color and are just beginning to expand. They will last a week indoors, but don’t cut too many stems from a single plant as this will weaken them for a couple of years at least, unless you take the blooms without any leaves.

Using the Pink Hawaiian Coral Peony in Your Garden

Grow the Pink Hawaiian Coral Peony as part of a border of perennial flowers, but it also looks great in a shrub border, in a large rock garden, and in a Mediterranean-style garden of terraces and open spaces. No matter how or where you grow it, this is a plant that’s sure to please.

Hardiness

Peonies are very cold-hardy, and you can grow this plant even in zone 3 – a treat after a cold winter. It grows just about everywhere else too, and even grows in zone 9, and especially well in Mediterranean climates like southern California.

Sun Exposure and Soil Conditions

Grow the Pink Hawaiian Coral Peony in full sun for the best results, but a little shade does no real harm if it is only a few hours a day. Plant in rich, moist, well-drained soil, preparing the soil well with compost and a source of phosphate. Plant so that the base of the stems, where they meet the roots and the dormant buds are, is no more than 1 to 2 inches below the final soil level. Deep planting will delay blooming by several years. Allow a couple of seasons for it to establish and show its worth. Water during extended dry periods or few buds will be created.

Maintenance and Pruning

Once the petals drop, cut the stems just above the first larger leaf. You shouldn’t need to stake – if your plants flop they are probably not getting enough light. Deer don’t eat peonies, and pests or diseases are very rare, unless the soil is too wet. In fall, once the leaves yellow and collapse, cut the stalks back to 1 or 2 inches long and cover the whole area with 2 inches of rich compost. No other attention is needed.

History and Origin of the Pink Hawaiian Coral Peony

The most common species of peony is Paeonia lactifora, but it isn’t the only one. Another is Paeonia peregrina, found in Turkey and southeastern Europe. It has a variety with bright red flowers called ‘Otto Froebel’ and this plant was crossed with a P. lactiflora called ‘Charlie’s White’. Among the seedlings was the hybrid plant that became ‘Pink Hawaiian Coral’. It isn’t clear if this plant, like the other Coral series varieties, was created by the hybridizer Samuel Wissing and then grown by nurseryman Roy B. Klehm, who would have selected and named it. We know that it first flowered in 1977, a little later than Wissing’s work, so it could have been created by Klehm, who in any case registered it in 1981.

Buying the Pink Hawaiian Coral Peony at the Tree Center

One of the best plants in the ‘Coral’ series, the Pink Hawaiian Coral Peony is drop-dead gorgeous. The American Peony Society recognized how special it is when they named it Gold Medal Winner in 2000 – just one peony is chosen each year for this highest honor. Order now as this is a variety that is rarely available, and we know they will be gone very soon.