PAEONIA For years I considered peonies little more than ant covered floppy perennials with little to recommend them, however as I came to appreciate the range of wild species I began to view them in a new light. They are now one of my favorite genera, long lived in the garden, with incredibly showy flowers (which by the way do not need ants to open). The range of foliage textures in particular is far too under appreciated. Many will tolerate a bit of shade but none really thrive in deep shade. In general, they are plants of scrubby chaparral type habitats and will tolerate incredible abuse once they are established. Pests are few with only an occasional bit of botritis which is easily dealt with, the only serious problem is root knot nematode which is seldom a problem with seed grown species material however it is all to common in cheap discount store hybrids.