21 Yellow Peony Varieties to Brighten Your Flowerbeds
Looking for some yellow peonies to brighten up your flowerbeds? There are many differen types of peonies that bloom in yellow, so you have plenty of options! In this article, we take a look at our favorite yellow peony varieties, with names and pictures of each!
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Peonies are a longtime garden favorite for good reasons. They’re incredibly vivid, easy to tend to, attract butterflies, and resistant to deer! What more could you ask for? They also come in a wide variety of different colors. Red peonies, purple peonies, white peonies – these popular flowers come in just about every color, including vibrant yellow!
Peonies come in three different groups. They are:
- Tree Peonies: Woody perennial shrubs that produce large flowers.
- Herbaceous Peonies: Most common, and appear as small flowering shrubs.
- Intersectional or Itoh Peonies: These are hybrid crosses of the tree and herbaceous groups.
If you’ve decided you’d like to plant some yellow peonies, but aren’t sure which variety to choose, you’ve landed in the right place! Each peony group has yellow flowers, so in this article, we will touch base on different peony varieties with yellow blooms in all three groups. Let’s take a look at our favorite yellow peonies that bloom in every shade of yellow you can imagine!
‘Bartzella’
Scientific Name: Paeonia ‘Bartzella‘
- Plant Type: Perennial
- Geographic Origin: Hybrid
- Plant Size: 24-36 inches
- Sun Exposure: Full sun, partial sun
- Plant Zone: 4-9
The Bartzella Itoh is a perennial favorite in gardens. Gardeners choose it for its huge, colorful blooms and sweet fragrance. It has large, double flowers that bloom from late spring to early summer. The petals are a darker yellow hue and sometimes have touches of red on them.
The Bartzella is vibrantly colored, has a long bloom time, and is low maintenance. The downside is that it grows slowly and may take a couple of years to bloom.
‘Blush Queen’
Scientific Name: Paeonia lactiflora ‘Blush Queen’
- Plant Type: Perennial
- Geographic Origin: Netherlands
- Plant Size: 36-42 inches
- Sun Exposure: Full sun, partial shade
- Plant Zone: 3-8
This soft peony is the color of a delicate blush, as its name suggests. It comes in shades of peach, white, and yellow. Its petals are massive and grow to be between eight and ten inches across. The Blush Queen blooms mid-season.
It’s a complementary flower, so it’ll fill up a lot of space in your garden without stealing the show from other colorful blooms. Aart Hoogendoorn from the Netherlands discovered the Blush Queen in 1949.
‘Bowl of Cream’
Scientific Name: Paeonia lactiflora ‘Bowl of Cream’
- Plant Type: Perennial
- Geographic Origin: Illinois, United States
- Plant Size: 30-32 inches
- Sun Exposure: Full sun, partial sun
- Plant Zone: 3-8
Whoever is in charge of naming the varieties of flowers is very creative. The Bowl of Cream is a creamy yellow-white with golden stamens. It’s an herbaceous double peony with huge petals that grow between nine and ten inches wide.
It flowers from late spring to early summer and is versatile in the garden. Bowl of Cream works well as a border plant in beds or along a walkway. Carl G. Klehm from South Barrington, Illinois introduced this variety in 1963.
‘Butter Bowl’
Scientific Name: Paeonia ‘Butter Bowl’
- Plant Type: Perennial
- Geographic Origin: Oregon, United States
- Plant Size: 30-36 inches
- Sun Exposure: Full sun
- Plant Zone: 3-8
‘Butter Bowl’ has a ring of pink peony flower petals that forms a “bowl” around a ruffled butter-yellow center. The blooms are highly scented but unfortunately don’t smell like butter.
It’s an elegant Japanese-type herbaceous flower.
They bloom from late spring to early summer. Thanks to its dark and thick foliage, the plant still looks attractive even after it’s finished blooming for the season. Reno Rosefield of Tigard, Oregon first bred the Butter Bowl sometime between the 1930s and 1940s.
‘Claire de Lune’
Scientific Name: Paeonia ‘Claire de Lune’
- Plant Type: Perennial
- Geographic Origin: United States
- Plant Size: 2-3 inches
- Sun Exposure: Full sun, partial sun
- Plant Zone: 3-8
The yellow hue of the ‘Claire de Lune Garden’ makes it look similar to a daffodil. Its petals are a creamy white and its stamens are golden yellow. It took eight years of crossing hybrids to arrive at this specific shade of yellow.
It flowers between late spring and early summer, and blooms for approximately seven days. It’s a reliable and vigorous variety of peony that’ll look attractive anywhere you put it in the garden.
‘Duchesse de Lorraine’
Scientific Name: Paeonia ‘Duchesse de Lorraine’
- Plant Type: Perennial
- Geographic Origin: France
- Plant Size: 28-32 inches
- Sun Exposure: Full sun, partial sun
- Plant Zone: 4-9
‘Duchesse de Lorraine’ got its namesake from the Lorraine region in France. It was the birthplace of a famous Peony breeder named Victor Lemoine. It has superbly large, bomb-like blooms that are dense and bright yellow. The blooms average between 120 and 150 petals.
It’s an especially fragrant, double-flowered plant that sits on top of a sturdy stem. It blooms from the middle of spring to early summer.
‘Early Glow’
Scientific Name: Paeonia ‘Early Glow’
- Plant Type: Perennial
- Geographic Origin: Missouri, United States
- Plant Size: about 30 inches
- Sun Exposure: Full sun, partial shade
- Plant Zone: 3-8
Don Hollingsworth created ‘Early Glow’ as a herbaceous hybrid in Maryville, Missouri in 1992. It’s a large, single yellow flower with crimson stigmas. The petals grow to around six inches wide so it makes a nice garden filler plant.
Early Glow is easy to grow and has wonderful green foliage you can admire after it’s done blooming for the season. It blooms early during the peony season, thus the name Early Glow.
‘Garden Treasure’
Scientific Name: Paeonia ‘Garden Treasure’
- Plant Type: Perennial
- Geographic Origin: Missouri, United States
- Plant Size: around 27 inches
- Sun Exposure: Full sun, partial shade
- Plant Zone: 4-9
I think they missed an opportunity to name this variety some variation of lemon. The petals have a lovely and fragrant lemon scent and they’re lemon yellow! The vibrant Garden Treasure Itoh won several awards for its striking features.
It’s a semi-double peony with flowers that reach up to seven inches wide. Like most hybrids, it embraces the best of both worlds. The Garden Treasure has tree-group-like flowers and thick, dark green foliage like the herbaceous group. Don Hollingsworth made these as well.
‘Going Bananas’
Scientific Name: Paeonia ‘Going Bananas’
- Plant Type: Perennial
- Geographic Origin: Siberia and China
- Plant Size: 25-29 inches
- Sun Exposure: Full sun
- Plant Zone: 3-9
‘Going Bananas’ isn’t exactly “banana” yellow, but it’s a vibrant yellow. It has a striking splash of red near the base of its petals that enhances the yellow aesthetic. You can expect the petals to grow as large as six inches wide on this half to full double peony.
Like most peonies, it’s adept at attracting butterflies and is slightly fragrant. It’s a sturdy plant that you won’t have to stake. As a hybrid, you get large and beautiful flowers and a thick bush for foliage.
‘High Noon’
Scientific Name: Paeonia suffruticosa ‘High Noon’
- Plant Type: Perennial
- Geographic Origin: New York, United States
- Plant Size: 4 to 5 feet
- Sun Exposure: Full sun, partial sun
- Plant Zone: 4-9
The High Noon Tree Peony is one of the easiest tree peonies to grow, and it’s a real treat because yellow tree peonies are uncommon. This semi-double peony has cupped petals that’ll make you think you’ve got an old-fashioned rose growing in your garden.
It has a sweet, floral scent. It’s a tall plant and has flowers that grow up to six inches wide. As a bonus, it can rebloom late in the season. Arthur Percy Saunders, who was from New York, bred the High Noon in 1952.
‘Honey Gold’
Scientific Name: Paeonia lactiflora ‘Honey Gold’
- Plant Type: Perennial
- Geographic Origin: Illinois, United States
- Plant Size: 30 inches
- Sun Exposure: Full sun, partial sun
- Plant Zone: 3-8
‘Honey Gold’ is an herbaceous peony that has delicate white petals that surround a golden and fluffy ball-shaped center. Its blooms are fragrant, bomb-type, and grow up to six inches wide. The more mature the flowers, the more impressive the display in your garden.
The Honey Gold has a more elegant and dainty look to it than some of the other varieties. It’ll fill up space nicely in your bed or along your driveway. Carl G. Klehm of South Barrington, Illinois bred them in 1970.
‘Jan Van Leeuwen’
Scientific Name: Paeonia ‘Jan van Leeuwen‘
- Plant Type: Perennial
- Geographic Origin: The Netherlands
- Plant Size: 34-36 inches
- Sun Exposure: Full sun
- Plant Zone: 4-8
‘Jan Van Leeuwen’ is a single herbaceous peony. It has bowl-shaped blooms that are made up of white, satin petals, and a striking yellow center. ‘Jan van Leeuwen’ looks soft and springy. It would complement Tulips extraordinarily well as it blooms early to mid-spring.
The Jan Van grows at a medium rate and reaches three feet high. Leonard van Leeuwen of Sassenheim, Netherlands bred the Jan Van in 1928.
‘Joanna Marlene’
Scientific Name: Paeonia itoh ‘Joanna Marlene’
- Plant Type: Perennial
- Geographic Origin: Wisconsin, United States
- Plant Size: 20-30 inches
- Sun Exposure: Full sun, partial shade
- Plant Zone: 4-9
The Joanna Marlene Itoh is a semi-double yellow cultivar with colors that rival the sunset. It’s a gorgeous blend of pink and yellow. The petals change color as they mature so you’ll see anything from a soft peach to salmon to golden yellow on one petal.
Roger F. Anderson of Wisconsin created this hybrid. Its uniquely vibrant colors and thick, green bush allow it to fit anywhere in your garden or in a container. It blooms from late spring to early summer and is on the shorter side.
‘Lemon Chiffon’
Scientific Name: Paeonia lactiflora ‘Lemon Chiffon’
- Plant Type: Perennial
- Geographic Origin: Michigan, United States
- Plant Size: 32 inches
- Sun Exposure: Full sun, partial sun
- Plant Zone: 3-8
‘Lemon Chiffon’ is a semi-double herbaceous peony. Its ruffled petals are soft, pale lemon yellow with orange and golden-yellow filaments at its center. They form a ball shape and grow between five and six inches wide.
It has a sturdy stem so you won’t have to worry about staking it, and its foliage is a lovely deep green color. It blooms mid-late spring and is a medium-speed grower. David L. Reath of Vulcan, Michigan introduced the Lemon Chiffon in 1981.
‘Lollipop Itoh’
Scientific Name: Paeonia ‘Lollipop’
- Plant Type: Perennial
- Geographic Origin: Wisconsin, United States
- Plant Size: 26-30 inches
- Sun Exposure: Full sun, partial sun
- Plant Zone: 3-8
When you first see ‘Lollipop’, you’ll understand why it’s named so. It’s a semi-double to double intersectional peony that has golden apricot flowers with stripes of red. It’s a beautiful shade of yellow that does make you think of old-fashioned lollipops.
The colors become deeper as the flowers mature. They’re slow to medium-growing plants that generally bloom from mid-late spring. Roger F. Anderson of Fort Atkinson, Wisconsin first bred these. He also bred Bartzella and Joanna Marlene.
‘Misaka’
Scientific Name: Paeonia ‘Smith Opus 1’
- Plant Type: Perennial
- Geographic Origin: United States
- Plant Size: 30-32 inches
- Sun Exposure: Full sun, partial sun
- Plant Zone: 4-8
‘Misaka’ is the name for a cultivar created by D. R. Smith in 2016, which is why its scientific name is ‘Smith Opus 1.’ It’s a semi-double peony. Its flowers are a lighter yellow with striking red flares near the center. The blooms can grow to be between six and eight inches wide.
The Misaka Itoh has excellent deep green foliage that lasts well into autumn. That makes them a solid choice for filling up space in your flower beds. The flowers themselves bloom in mid-spring and are a worthy addition to any bouquet as they’re lightly scented.
‘Prairie Charm’
Scientific Name: Paeonia ‘Prairie Charm’
- Plant Type: Perennial
- Geographic Origin: United States
- Plant Size: 26-30 inches
- Sun Exposure: Full sun, partial sun
- Plant Zone: 4-9
‘Prairie Charm’ is a semi-double peony with fragrant, buttery flowers. Each bloom has between 20-30 soft, ruffled petals, which means it’s a dense and full flower. There’s a nice touch of red near the center that complements the yellow petals well.
This multiple award-winner blooms from late spring to early summer. It usually blooms for two weeks but can bloom up to four in cooler areas.
‘Sequestered Sunshine’
Scientific Name: Paeonia ‘Sequestered Sunshine’
- Plant Type: Perennial
- Geographic Origin: Wisconsin, United States
- Plant Size: 3 to 3.5 feet
- Sun Exposure: Full sun, partial sun
- Plant Zone: 4-8
‘Sequestered Sunshine’ blooms large, bright canary yellow flowers. It’s a single to semi-double that has blooms that grow up to seven inches wide.
Roger F. Anderson bred these as well in 1999. The Sequestered Sunshine is a floriferous peony that blooms in late spring to early summer. The plant quickly forms dense, sturdy foliage as well that lasts well into fall.
‘Singing in the Rain’
Scientific Name: Paeonia ‘Singing in the Rain’
- Plant Type: Perennial
- Geographic Origin: United States
- Plant Size: 24-36 inches
- Sun Exposure: Full Sun, Partial Sun
- Plant Zone: 4-8
The Singing in the Rain Itoh is a semi-double flower with a pleasant scent. Its petals are a gorgeous mix of light yellow and soft salmon pink. The petals become darker the more mature they get. The shade of green of its foliage complements the petals well.
The Singing in the Rain blooms from late spring to early summer. They’re a fantastic choice for borders, beds, walkways, and gardens.
Image Credit: F.D. Richards via Flickr (Image Use Allowed With Attribution)
‘Yellow Crown’
Scientific Name: Paeonia ‘Yellow Crown’
- Plant Type: Perennial
- Geographic Origin: Japan
- Plant Size: 24-36 inches
- Sun Exposure: Full sun, partial shade
- Plant Zone: 5
This hybrid was created by the master himself, Toichi Itoh, in the early 1960s. It’s a cross between the Kakoden herbaceous peony and the Alice Harding tree peony. The Yellow Crown is a semi-double golden yellow flower that grows to be ten inches wide.
It has a hint of red at its base. Strong and healthy plants grow dense, attractive bushes though they’re a bit slow to grow.
‘Yumi’
Scientific Name: Paeonia ‘Yumi’
- Plant Type: Perennial
- Geographic Origin: New Jersey, United States
- Plant Size: 24-30 inches
- Sun Exposure: Full sun, partial sun
- Plant Zone: 4-8
Don Smith of New Jersey first hybridized the Yumi Itoh. The Yumi is a large double flower that grows to be eight inches wide. It has petals that are a true, radiant yellow. It’s lightly scented with a rounded form that makes it excellent for cutting.
It’s a slow grower but will be worth the wait. The Yumi is a nice plant for mass planting and other general garden use thanks to its bushy foliage.
Final Thoughts
Peonies are an excellent choice for any garden or landscape. They’re low maintenance, incredibly vibrant, and deer resistant. You can these beautifully blooming flowers in just about any color, or with many color combinations.
When you’re planning your next flower bed, be sure to add some yellow peonies for a little extra “pop” in your garden. They’ll look amazing and fill up space well. The only downside to them is having to choose which ones you want to plant out of all the beautiful and unique yellow varieties!
