When we envision peonies, we often think of massive, double-pedal bomb varieties of a deep pink or pastel color. Pink is probably the quintessential color for most people when they think of peonies — and for good reason. Some of the most beautiful cultivars in the Paeonia genus are of the pink variety — and Sarah Bernhardt is probably the archetypical of this peony group.

Introduced in 1906, Sarah Bernhardt has become the Modern American and British gardener's standard. If checking out any local neighborhood or public gardening in the upper latitudes of the US, you will be hard-pressed to not find at least one Sarah Bernhardt bursting from the foliage. This is no accident, though: Sarah Bernhardt has been a winning contender for pinks due to its many desirable attributes that gardeners, farmers, and florists seek out fervently.

At the farm, I never stake Sarah Bernhardt. That's because this dandy pink is graced with sturdy, strong stems that take and deflect the punishment of weather and bud weight alike. They grow to impressive lengths at that, typically topping out at 36 inches (92 cm), and retain their strength well into budding and well after harvesting. The stems also tend to not warp if bent: weighty flowers or heavy rain can tip them down, but once dry, they snap back without permanent twists. Couple that with beautiful, deep green foliage, and you will have a winner stem.

Sarah Bernhardt is also extremely disease resistant, with botrytis being the only absolute bane of the flower, and at that, only during exceptionally wet seasons. These need fewer preventative measures to keep them clean than most of the over varieties in the fields, with only occasional bud-rot rearing up during usually rainy summers.

Sarah Bernhardt is also a heavy producer, with aged plants grossing a whopping 25-40 stems per plant — that's 25-40 big, beautiful, fragrant flowers per plant! The enormous productivity of Sarah Bernhardt has led farmers and gardeners into a love affair with the cultivar due to the consistent promise of ample stems for both aesthetic enjoyment and a hearty harvest.

However, it's the flowers themselves that really take the cake. Sarah Bernhardt is well known for their enormous, bomb-style, double, full flowers that typically begin as 2-inch buds that unfurl to an impressive 8-9 inches across. They exude a sweet fragrance from bud to bloom that never loses its decadent aroma, field, vase, or otherwise. The color change is also a plus, beginning the show with a vibrant fuchsia that gradually fades to soft pastel pink. Vase life is impressive, wherein I have seen them last upward of 15 days from bud to shrivel. And, if that wasn't enough, the pedals won't drop; if careful, you could dry your Sarah Bernhardt stems with excellent color and shape retention. Even in death, this flower continues to impress.

Really, there's a laundry list of benefits to Sarah Bernhardt. The popularity among gardeners, florists, and farmers alike is undoubtedly wholly grounded in this peony's beautiful characteristics and yielding benefits.