Three peony families

Herbaceous peonies (Paeonia lactiflora and its hybrids) die back to ground each winter and explode in May/June. The classic cottage-garden peony. Try: 'Sarah Bernhardt' (palest pink, the doyenne), 'Karl Rosenfield' (deep crimson), 'Bowl of Beauty' (pink with creamy centre).

Tree peonies (P. suffruticosa, P. rockii) keep woody stems all year and flower earlier with huge silk-paper blooms. Try: 'High Noon' (yellow), 'Souvenir de Maxime Cornu' (yellow-pink).

Itoh / intersectional peonies — a cross of the two — give the foliage of tree peonies with the manageable size of herbaceous, and very long flowering. 'Bartzella' (lemon yellow), 'Cora Louise' (white with pink heart) are the workhorses. Worth the price.

Species peonies (P. mlokosewitschii — 'Molly the Witch', P. tenuifolia) are the early, smaller, jewel-like alternatives.