Red Charm opens early in the peony season, with deep red double blooms on stems that stay short enough for a front border. It is an herbaceous hybrid with fragrant, early red flowers.
What Is the Red Charm Peony?
Red Charm is an herbaceous hybrid peony. The stems die back to the ground each winter and return from the roots in spring, so it is not a shrub and not an Itoh.
The flowers are double and red, packed into a rounded, full form that growers call a bomb. They are fragrant and open early in the peony season, ahead of many older garden varieties.
The plant stands about 2 feet tall, which keeps it in scale with a walkway edge or the front of a mixed bed. Check the plant tag for the mature spread of the division you buy.
From the almanac
Peonies in your state
The dates on this page depend on where you live. Your state's page carries its frost dates, its USDA zones and the year laid out month by month.
Northeast
Southeast
- Alabama
- Arkansas
- Delaware
- Florida
- Georgia
- Kentucky
- Louisiana
- Maryland
- Mississippi
- North Carolina
- South Carolina
- Tennessee
- Virginia
- West Virginia
Midwest
Southwest
West
Pacific Northwest
Canada
Where Does the Red Charm Peony Grow Best?
Check local guidance before choosing a site for Red Charm.
- Upper Midwest and Northern Plains: Ask a local garden center whether Red Charm suits your winter conditions.
- Northeast and Mid-Atlantic: Ask a local garden center whether Red Charm suits your conditions.
- Gulf Coast and Deep South: Ask a local garden center whether Red Charm suits your climate.
Use the state selector below for local planting and care timing.
How to Care for the Red Charm Peony Through the Year
Spring Growth
Red shoots push up early, and the plant grows quickly once the soil warms.
Red Charm stands about 2 feet tall.
Bloom Season
This variety flowers early.
The blooms are fragrant.
Summer
Fall Cutback
Winter
Red Charm Peony Diseases and Weak Points
Cut Red Charm flowers can darken in storage. Stems cut and held in storage can darken, and how the petals age depends on what the stems stand in.
| Threat | How Red Charm handles it |
|---|---|
| Cut flowers held in cold storage | Blooms turned dark while stored |
| Cut flowers in plain water | Petals drop as the flower ages |
| Cut flowers in floral preservative | The flower wilts instead of dropping petals |
Floral preservative changes how Red Charm flowers fade, while flowers can darken in storage.
Is the Red Charm Peony Right for Your Yard?
Red Charm has fragrant red flowers and blooms early.
- You will find it works well as a front-of-border plant, with a modest 2-foot height, for cutting, and for fragrance near a path. Plan to site it where you can see the early bloom.
- Open your state’s page on this site to see when planting and cutback fall where you live, then mark those months on your calendar.
Common Questions
Why Do Red Charm Peony Blooms Turn Dark After Cutting?
Stored stems have been seen to darken, and the effect is stronger when flowers sit in cold storage. Floral preservative changes how the flowers fade.
Does Red Charm Peony Need Staking?
Red Charm grows about 2 feet tall and has double red flowers.
Why Does a Red Charm Peony Produce Leaves but No Flowers?
Sources : chicagobotanic.org