First Arrival Peony
Paeonia 'First Arrival'
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First Arrival Peony is backordered and will ship as soon as it is back in stock.
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Plant Sentry™

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Your order is protected by our compliance system that:
- Prevents restricted plants from shipping to your state
- Ensures plants meet your state's agricultural requirements
- Protects gardens from invasive pests and diseases
Delivery and Shipping
Delivery and Shipping
Delivery and Shipping
Fast, Safe Plant Delivery
Ships in 3-4 business days • Tracking provided • Weather protected
Under $50 | $9.99 |
$50 - $99.99 | $14.99 |
$100 - $149.99 | $16.99 |
$150+ | $24.99 |
✓ Zone-specific timing • ✓ Professional packaging • ✓ Health guarantee
Understanding Plant Options
Nature Hills offers plants in two main formats:
- Container Plants: Grown in pots with soil, sized by container volume and plant age
- Bare Root Plants: Dormant plants without soil, sized by height measurements
Container Plant Sizes
Container sizes indicate plant age and growing capacity rather than liquid volume equivalents. Our containers follow industry-standard nursery "trade gallon" specifications, which differ from standard liquid gallon measurements.
Young Plants (6 months to 18 months old)
Container Size | Actual Volume | Metric Equivalent |
---|---|---|
2" x 2" x 3" | 0.18 - 0.21 dry quarts | 0.20 - 0.23 dry liters |
4" Container | 0.31 - 0.87 dry quarts | 0.35 - 0.96 dry liters |
4.5" Container | 0.65 dry quarts | 0.72 dry liters |
6" Container | 1.4 dry quarts | 1.59 dry liters |
1 Quart | 1 dry quart | 1.1 dry liters |
5.5" Container | 1.89 dry quarts | 2.08 dry liters |
Established Plants (18 months to 2.5 years old)
Container Size | Actual Volume | Metric Equivalent |
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2 Quart | 2 dry quarts | 2.2 dry liters |
#1 Container | 2.26 - 3.73 dry quarts | 2.49 - 4.11 dry liters |
5" x 5" x 12" | 3.5 - 4.3 dry quarts | 3.85 - 4.74 dry liters |
Mature Plants (2-4 years old)
Container Size | Actual Volume | Metric Equivalent |
---|---|---|
#2 Container | 1.19 - 1.76 dry gallons | 5.24 - 7.75 dry liters |
#3 Container | 2.15 - 2.76 dry gallons | 8.14 - 12.16 dry liters |
Large Plants (3-5 years old)
Container Size | Actual Volume | Metric Equivalent |
---|---|---|
#5 Container | 2.92 - 4.62 dry gallons | 12.86 - 20.35 dry liters |
#6 Container | 5.25 - 6.01 dry gallons | 23.12 - 26.42 dry liters |
#7 Container | 5.98 - 6.53 dry gallons | 26.34 - 28.76 dry liters |
Bare Root Plants
Bare root plants are sold by height from the root system to the top of the plant. Plants may exceed minimum height requirements.
Common Sizes:
- Trees: 1 foot, 2 feet, 3 feet, 4 feet, 5 feet, 6 feet
- Shrubs & Perennials: 1 foot, 18 inches, 2 feet
Important Notes
Container Volume Specifications
- Trade Gallon Standard: Our containers follow industry-standard "trade gallon" specifications established by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI Z60.1) for nursery stock
- Volume Variations: Actual soil volume may vary due to plant root systems and growing medium settlement
- Age Indicators: Container size primarily indicates plant age and maturity rather than liquid volume equivalents
Growing Conditions
- Plant size can vary based on variety and growing conditions
- Container size helps indicate plant maturity and establishment level
- Larger containers generally mean more established root systems and faster landscape establishment
Seasonal Availability
- Bare root plants are available seasonally when dormant
- Container plants are available throughout the growing season
- Specific varieties may have limited availability in certain sizes
Questions?
For questions about specific plant sizes or availability, please contact our plant experts who can help you choose the right size for your landscape needs.
Plant Highlights
First Arrival Peony highlights at a glance!
Specifications
Specifications
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Brand
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Botanical Name
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Growing Zones
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Mature Height
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Mature Spread
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Sun ExposureFull Sun
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Moisture
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Soil
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Growth RateFast
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Pollinator Friendly
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Fragrant
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Pruning Time
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Bloom PeriodSummer

Growing Zones 3-8
Flouncy ruffled and wavy edges of the silky First Arrival Peony (Paeonia 'First Arrival') will take your breath away! Each lovely petal carries a purple spot at the base and slightly lightens ombre-style to a lighter edge for an elegant display! Itoh Peonies like First Arrival were created by cross-breeding herbaceous Peonies with Tree Peonies, creating these fantastic new hybrids.
Also known as intersectional Peonies, they form fine-textured, heavily dissected foliage that looks great all growing season, and stout stems to hold up these enormous blooms! You'll enjoy having plenty of nectar-rich blossoms for your pollinators and more for gorgeous bouquets and floral arrangements too!
Announce the start of summer like a trumpet call with this First Arrival Peony bush! Durable throughout USDA growing zones 3 through 8, these flowering rhizomes have thick, fleshy roots with several 'eyes' each! So durable and hardy that Peony are very long-lived, with the potential to survive for up to 50 years after maturing when properly taken care of!
Planting and Application:
These shrubby plants look fantastic as greenery backdrops and filler throughout the sunny garden and along walkways and paths as border perennials! The fragrant blooms happily mix and mingle among Rose gardens and cottage borders, filling out perennial gardens and providing shade to spring ephemerals as they start to wind down. The late spring to summer blooms of First Arrival are great to mix among your own Peony garden!
It's no wonder gardeners for centuries are obsessed with these blooms! First Arrival Itoh Peony bushes are great for cutting gardens and last close to a week in a vase and longer on the plant - what a great way to show off their refreshing scent! Your butterflies will feel upstaged, but the bees will be delighted to rummage around through the golden crown of pollen-rich anthers at the center of each big bloom!
- Vivid Magenta-Purple Blooms & Yellow Centers
- Fragrant & Ruffled Petals
- Fast-Growing Lush Green Foliage
- Long-Lasting & Attracts Pollinators
- Fantastic for Cut Floral Arrangements
- Planters & Containers, Beds, Borders, Rows & Groupings!
#ProPlantTips for Care:
Itoh Peony rhizomes have the strongest stems in full sun and grow best away from trees and shrubs, as competition for nutrients and moisture inhibits their growth. Plant in an enriched, well-drained environment. It is pretty low maintenance and prefers average moisture, in a decently sheltered environment for optimum growth, that also has good air circulation.
The enormous blooms of this flower catch rainfall may become weighed down. Consider staking to help support the stems against storms and the driving summer rain. Put down a 3-4 inch layer of arborist mulch chips around the base of your plant to hold in more moisture. For continued healthy growth, Deadhead the faded flowers and wait to trim down the foliage as the leaves begin to fade in the fall.
- Full Sun & Partial Shade
- Moderate Moisture & Well-Drained Soil
- Long-Lived & Cold Hardy
- Deadhead After Blooms Fade & Prune Late Fall After Foliage Yellows
- Find Tips on Planting Bareroot Peony Here
First Arrival Peony adds ruffled beauty to your garden beds and borders, plus luscious fragrance and hardy longevity! Hurry and reserve your quality rhizomes from NatureHills.com today for bountiful blooms next spring!
Information About Bareroot Peonies
Bareroot Peonies are shipped as nice, 3-5 eye bareroot divisions. Their woody roots are not uniform, it is normal for each root to look slightly different.
Nature Hills Nursery ships bare-root Peonies in the fall according to your growing zone to ensure they will remain dormant all winter until emerging in spring.