Paeonia lactiflora 'Doctor Alexander Fleming'

Doctor Alexander Fleming Garden Peony

Paeonia lactiflora ‘Doctor Alexander Fleming’ is a herbaceous perennial peony with large, fragrant, fully double rose-pink to hot pink flowers that soften toward the petal edges as they mature. It forms an upright, bushy clump of glossy, deep green divided foliage. The flowers are long-lasting, useful for cutting, and often extended by side buds. Gardenia lists it as a late-midseason peony and notes that it received the Royal Horticultural Society Award of Garden Merit.

Type: Herbaceous perennial peony
Mature Size: 28–36 in. wide × 28–36 in. tall
USDA Zones: 3a–8b
Form: Upright, bushy, clumping perennial; large double blooms may need support
Light: Full sun to part shade; best flowering in full sun
Soil / Water: Fertile, humus-rich, evenly moist, well-drained soil; water during dry weather and avoid soggy sites
Bloom Time / Length: May–June; late spring to early summer, usually about 7–10 days
Wildlife: Fragrant flowers attract bees, butterflies, and other pollinating insects; generally deer and rabbit resistant

Features & Landscape Uses:
Excellent for perennial borders, cottage gardens, cutting gardens, foundation plantings, specimen planting, mass planting, and mixed sunny beds. ‘Doctor Alexander Fleming’ is especially valued for its large fragrant pink blooms, long-lasting cut flowers, strong garden presence, and reliable performance. Hoffie Nursery lists it as a full-sun peony with hot pink double spring blooms and long-lasting cut flowers.

Care:
Plant peony eyes about 1–2 inches below the soil surface; planting too deeply can reduce flowering. Provide good air circulation and water at the base when possible. Use a peony ring or support cage early in spring because the large double flowers can bend after rain. Remove faded flowers after bloom, leave foliage through summer to feed the roots, then cut stems to the ground after frost in fall and remove old foliage from the garden.

 

Plant type

Perennial

Height

28-36"

Width

28-36"

Hardiness zones

3–8

Sunlight

Full Sun

Growth rate

Slow

Bloom time

Early Summer, Late Spring

Flower color

Pink

Leaf color

Green

Fall color

Green

Attracts

Bees, Butterflies

Soil

Moist well-drained, Rich

Landscape use

Accent Plant, Border, Container, Foundation, Mass Planting

Shape

Clump, Compact, Upright

Fragrant

Yes

Deer resistant

Yes

Drought tolerant

No