Peony Shirley Temple
Double-flowered Peony with soft pink to ivory blooms
£18
2 Litre pot
Flowering
Pollinator
Scented
Buy now, pay later
Key information
Peony ‘Shirley Temple’, also known as Paeonia lactiflora ‘Shirley Temple’, is a classic perennial prized for its large, fully double flowers in the softest blush pink, which fade gracefully to a warm ivory cream as they mature. Beautifully fragrant and reliably hardy, it returns each year with increasing vigour, making it one of the most rewarding plants a garden can hold.
Delivery & Returns
SOTO GARDENS EDITS AND COLLECTIONS: Soto deliver nationwide for all plants, standard size pots and accessories via our courier partner, DPD within 3-10 working days. You will receive an email asking you to schedule your delivery day. XL pots are delivered in 10-15 working days. Delivery is free for all orders over £75. For orders under £75, we charge £6. Soto Guests, including BIG GREEN EGG, GARDEN TRADING and FLOWERBX are delivered in accordance with their T&C’s. Please see our delivery and returns page for more information. Please contact Soto if you’ve any questions.
Top Tip
Stake Shirley Temple while growth is young. Peonies produce heavy blooms and benefit from support in place before they need it.
How to care for Peony Shirley Temple
Aspect
Sun and Partial
Peony 'Shirley Temple' loves to be in the full sun and can tolerate the part-shade.
Care Level
Easy
This is a very low maintenance plant. As the distinctive deep red shoots emerge from the ground in early spring, remove any old stems or debris left from the previous season.
Watering
Moderate amounts of water
Begin watering regularly as temperatures rise, keeping the soil moist but well-drained. Ensure the crown sits no more than 2–5cm below the surface — planting too deep is the most common reason peonies fail to flower.
Feeding
Compost & Liquid Feed
Plant with lots of good quality, peat-free compost. Apply a balanced, slow-release fertiliser or a top dressing of peat-free compost around the base of the plant as growth begins. This encourages strong stems and generous flowering.
Soil
Tolerates most soils
When preparing to plant, ensure the soil is well draining by mixing in grit with your compost.
Flowering period
- Jan
- Feb
- Mar
- Apr
- May
- Jun
- Jul
- Aug
- Sep
- Oct
- Nov
- Dec
Foliage
- Jan
- Feb
- Mar
- Apr
- May
- Jun
- Jul
- Aug
- Sep
- Oct
- Nov
- Dec
Quick facts
BOTANICAL NAME
Paeonia lactiflora 'Shirley Temple'
PLANT TYPE
Flowers every year (perennial)
RECOMMENDED SOTO POT SIZE
Small
HARDINESS
Hardy
NURSERY POT SIZE
2L
TOXICITY
Skin irritant to both humans and pets, wear gloves when handling. Harmful if eaten.
EVENTUAL GROWTH (2-5 YEARS)
Height - 0.5-1m, Width - 0.5-1m
White Foxglove (Digitalis purpurea f. albiflora)
In this Soto Masterclass, Max introduces the White Foxglove, which is also known as the Digitalis purpurea f. albiflora, a very similar relation to the Sutton's Apricot Foxglove.
The White Foxglove loves to bask in the sun and provides elegant points of interest to the scheme. Loved by pollinators they are a focal point within a border.
Max explains that as a biennial the flowers have a two year life cycle, with flowers at their best in the second year.
Watch Max demonstrate how to spread the seeds of the foxglove to grow more plants. He explains, when, how and where to cut the foxglove stem with secateurs and how to feed them with compost after. Max reveals this is a job which can be done into late Autumn.
This guide shows how to encourage a smaller second flush of flowers in the summer. Read the full Masterclass on pruning a foxglove here.
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