There is a very beautiful saying about Perennials which says that for the first year the Perennial sleeps, the second year they creep and the third year they leap. The other name for Double Peonies is Paeonia.  Peonies are one of the favorite spring time perennials and the main attraction of many home gardens. The Double Peonies have flowers which are very vibrant and come in different colors, sizes and shape and all these grow on the rich and thick covering of leaves which makes the shrub. Peonies are hybrids of  Peonia lactiflora and Peonia officinlis. These are categorized into four divisions according to the shape of the flowers. The single peonies have a central ring of stamens with five or more petals. The semi double peonies have visible stamens with many rings of petals while the fully Double peonies do not have stamens but many rings of petals.

The Double Peonies are planted as borders, backdrop or main attraction of the home gardens etc. If they are grown together with other early summer perennials like the Siberian or Irish Poppies, painted Daisies etc. or spring bulbs which bloom late like the Daffodils or Tulips they add more color to the home garden making it look more spectacular.

There are several varieties  of Double Peonies which are Festiva Maxima, Red Magic and  Sarah Bernherdt. The origin of Double Peonies  is Japan. The Double Peonies  have flowers which are white. They grow as tall as 36 inches to 38 inches. They need full sun and rich soil which is well drained and which has neutral pH level, as well as open space in order to grow properly. If the soil is acidic then addition of a few handful of lime while planting is required. The Double Peonies do not require to be pruned regularly but only to remove  the dead wood or flowers  that are  spent, after all the leaves fall of in spring. The blooming season of  the Double Peonies is from May to June.

The Double Peonies take a little time  before they actually bloom so there are no or very few flowers, the first spring after it has been planted. The Double Peonies need to be given support by stalking them so that the blooms do not touch the ground. One thing to be kept in mind is that once the Double Peonies are planted they should not be shifted and replanted in another place, but if this has to be done then the best time to do so is during the winters. The plants need to be protected against the chill and frost during winters and this can be done by covering with burlap screens or inverted baskets.

Many people believe that Double Peonies need ants for their flowers to bloom, but the fact is the ants have nothing to do with the blooming of the flowers. The plant develops a sugary coating that forms on the flower buds thus the ants are seen on the plants. The disease that infects these plants is the Gray mould. It is a common fungus which infects the leaves, flowers and stems. In order to prevent this fungus from harming the plant, cleaning up and destroying the infected leaves is necessary. Spraying with fungicides which contain manocozeb, benomyl or zineb on the shoots that are emerging also helps to prevent this disease.