Overview

Transform your garden into a breathtaking spectacle with the exquisite Festiva Maxima Peony Bareroot. This stunning variety is celebrated for its dramatic, pure white double blooms, often reaching an impressive 8-9 inches in diameter, making it a true showstopper in any landscape. As a bare root plant, it offers an economical and robust way to establish a perennial favorite known for its vigorous growth and abundant flowering. The Festiva Maxima Peony Bareroot is an award-winning peony, recognized for its exceptional beauty and reliability, ensuring a spectacular display year after year. Planted in fall or spring, this hardy perennial will quickly establish itself, rewarding you with its classic charm and delightful fragrance.

Known botanically as Paeonia lactiflora ‘Festiva Maxima’, this herbaceous perennial is a beloved classic in garden design. Its large, fully double flowers feature a pristine white color, often flecked with crimson at the center, adding a subtle touch of contrast. The robust nature of the Festiva Maxima Peony Bareroot makes it an excellent choice for gardeners of all experience levels, promising a rewarding and relatively low-maintenance addition to beds, borders, or as a standalone specimen. Prepare to be captivated by its timeless allure and the rich history associated with this magnificent flowering plant.

Key Benefits

Investing in a Festiva Maxima Peony Bareroot offers a multitude of benefits for your garden and your senses:

• Spectacular Double Blooms: Enjoy large, lush 8-9 inch pure white double flowers that create a truly dramatic and elegant focal point in any garden setting. These showy blooms are a highlight of late spring.
• Award-Winning Variety: This particular peony is an award-winning peony, recognized for its outstanding performance, vigorous growth, and consistent, high-quality flowering, ensuring a superior garden experience.
• Delightful Fragrance: The magnificent white flowers emit a lovely, sweet fragrance that can perfume your garden, making it an ideal choice for planting near patios, windows, or walkways.
• Long-Lived Perennial: Once established, these fragrant peony flowers are incredibly long-lived, often thriving for decades with minimal care, providing beauty for generations.
• Versatile Garden Use: Perfect for cottage gardens, formal borders, cutting gardens, or as a striking specimen plant. Its robust nature makes it suitable for various landscape designs.
• Excellent Cut Flowers: The strong stems and large, beautiful blooms make ‘Festiva Maxima’ an ideal choice for cutting, bringing its beauty and fragrance indoors for stunning arrangements.
• Hardy and Resilient: Tolerant of a wide range of climates (USDA Zones 2-8), this peony is a tough and reliable plant, bouncing back year after year with stunning floral displays.

Plant Care & Growing Tips

Caring for your Festiva Maxima Peony Bareroot is relatively straightforward, ensuring years of beautiful blooms. This plant thrives in a location that receives full sun to light shade, especially in deeper Southern States where some afternoon shade can prevent scorching. Aim for at least 6 hours of direct sunlight daily for the best flowering performance. When planting, proper depth is crucial: do not plant the bare root deeper than 2 inches of soil on top of the ‘eyes’ (the pinkish buds on the root). Planting too deep is a common reason for poor blooming or a lack of flowers altogether. Ensure the ‘eyes’ are facing upwards.

Peonies prefer rich, well-draining soil with a neutral to slightly alkaline pH. Amend heavy clay soils with compost or other organic matter to improve drainage. Once established, peonies are quite drought-tolerant, but consistent moisture during extremely dry periods and during bloom formation will support healthier plants and larger flowers. Avoid overwatering, as this can lead to root rot. Fertilize sparingly in early spring with a balanced, slow-release fertilizer or a specific peony food. Deadhead spent flowers to maintain a tidy appearance, but leave the foliage intact until it yellows naturally in the fall, as this helps the plant store energy for the following year’s blooms. Winter protection is generally not needed in its hardiness zones, but a layer of mulch can be beneficial in colder regions or for newly planted bare roots. Understanding the specific needs for planting peony bare root correctly will ensure a vibrant and healthy plant.

Size & Details

The Festiva Maxima Peony Bareroot is shipped as a dormant bare root, typically featuring 2-3 ‘eyes’ or growth buds, indicating a strong, viable plant ready for establishment. Upon maturity, this herbaceous perennial will typically reach a height of 2-3 feet with a similar spread, forming a substantial and attractive bush in your garden. The magnificent double white blooms measure an impressive 8-9 inches across when fully open, creating a truly spectacular visual impact. This variety is known for its relatively vigorous growth rate, establishing itself well within the first year and beginning to produce its characteristic fragrant peony flowers within 1-2 seasons, with full maturity and abundant blooms typically achieved after 3-5 years.

The optimal time for planting peony bare root depends on your USDA hardiness zone. For fall planting, zones 2, 3, 4 can plant in early September; zone 5 in early to mid-September; zone 6 in mid-September; zone 7 in mid to late September; and zones 8, 9, 10 in late September to early October. For spring planting, zones 3, 4 can plant in early to mid-May; zone 5 in late April to early May; zone 6 in mid to late April; zone 7 in early to mid-April; and zones 8, 9, 10 in late March to early April. Proper timing and planting depth are key for the successful establishment and future prolific blooming of your Festiva Maxima Peony Bareroot.

Frequently Asked Questions

• Q: How big does this plant get? A: The Festiva Maxima Peony Bareroot typically grows to a height of 2-3 feet with a similar spread, forming a robust and bushy perennial in your garden. Its large blooms are quite substantial.
• Q: Is this an indoor or outdoor plant? A: This is an outdoor plant, ideally suited for garden beds, borders, and landscapes. It requires a period of winter chill to produce its famous blooms.
• Q: How much sunlight does it need? A: For optimal flowering, this peony requires full sun, meaning at least 6 hours of direct sunlight per day. In hotter climates, a little afternoon shade can be beneficial.
• Q: Is this plant easy to care for? A: Yes, once established, the Festiva Maxima Peony Bareroot is considered relatively low-maintenance. It’s a long-lived perennial that requires minimal intervention beyond proper planting and occasional watering.
• Q: What condition will it arrive in? A: Your Festiva Maxima Peony Bareroot will arrive as a dormant bare root with 2-3 ‘eyes’, ready for planting. This is the ideal stage for transplanting and promotes strong growth.
• Q: How long until it blooms? A: You can expect your peony to start producing blooms within 1-2 seasons after planting, with a more abundant and mature display typically occurring after 3-5 years. Patience is rewarded with spectacular fragrant peony flowers.
• Q: When is the best time to plant this peony? A: The best times for planting peony bare root are in the fall (September to early October) or early spring (late March to early May), depending on your specific USDA hardiness zone.
• Q: Will it survive winter in my zone? A: Yes, this peony is very hardy and is suitable for USDA Zones 2-8, meaning it can tolerate very cold winter temperatures and will return year after year.
• Q: Why is my peony not blooming? A: The most common reason for a peony not blooming is planting it too deeply. Ensure the ‘eyes’ are no more than 2 inches below the soil surface. Lack of sunlight or immaturity can also be factors.
• Q: Are these white double peony blooms fragrant? A: Yes, ‘Festiva Maxima’ is known for its lovely, classic peony fragrance, adding another layer of sensory appeal to your garden.