Next year around late May to early June, my daughter will be married. This is a happy time for our family we are just glowing. While the wedding is taking place elsewhere, there are some events planned to happen at our house. I have a large garden, and I want to make it look a bit more bridal for the festivities. One of the things I thought might be good is to plant some herbaceous peonies that bloom right at that time. I live in the SF Bay area of California. (I'm also planting white roses, white lilies, white clematis, and white foxgloves.)

We don't get a lot of winter chill here, but I know that old reliable 'Festiva Maxima' will bloom here. I'm not sure of the timing of bloom. I also know that fall is the best time to plant peonies. However, I recently saw some for sale. If I planted them now, would that work? Or would it definitely be better to wait for fall? Yes, I am excited and impatient. Yes, I can wait if I should.

If someone familiar with our low-chill conditions can recommend bettr whit peonies for my region, I would be grateful.

And my thanks to anyone who can offer advice or information!