Festiva Maxima is an heirloom peony grown since the 1850s: large, fully double white blooms flecked crimson at the heart, with a strong old-rose fragrance that fills a room from a single stem. In late spring the clump, about 3 feet around, carries armloads of cut flowers.

Peonies do well in Birmingham with the right start: morning sun, well-drained soil, and shallow planting, with the eyes barely an inch below the surface, since deep planting keeps them from blooming here. Leave it undisturbed for years; deer and rabbits pass it by.