Fragrant, pure-white double flowers measuring up to 8in across have golden stamens hidden in their deep, bowl-shaped blooms. Glorious in bouquets, 'Bowl of Cream' is a Gold Medal winner hybridized by Roy Klehm in 1963. Midseason.

Plants in the genus Paeonia generally like full sun and neutral to slightly sweet soil, and they shrug off cold. After bloom is complete, you are left with a handsome mound of glossy, deep green foliage that will happily anchor the next sequence of bloom in the neighborhood. Peonies make superior cut flowers, lasting more than a week if cut in full bud.

Southerners should seek out our early bloomers and provide afternoon shade.