Shirley Temple is an heirloom peony with huge double blooms that open soft blush pink and mature to creamy white, carried on strong stems in mid to late spring. Established clumps become a decades-long fixture, the kind of plant that gets divided and handed down.

Peonies do well in Birmingham when two rules are honored: plant shallow, with the buds barely an inch below the soil, and give it sun with a little afternoon relief. Add well-drained soil, no mulch piled on the crown, and patience the first year or two; the payoff compounds annually.