That is why I prefer the single flowers in tree peonies. The heavy flower generally looks right at the ground. Go ahead and cut it and enjoy it in the house. You were not planning to save the seeds anyway. Al

My tree peonies don't seem to look at the ground. However, they're growing in full sun. Only problem is that the sun will wither them if it gets hot. That's why you seen those cute peony umbrellas in those Japanese pictures. BTW I don't own any of those cute paper umbrellas. Try the link below to see some of mine. This was taken a few years ago, but they still look the same. You can do a screen show from this link, and tell it "full page." Kitty

Here is a link that might be useful: Tree Peonies

kitty it looks like we have the same one the seidai tree peony. my peony was bending b/c we received 3 straight days of torrential rain... like an over flowing tea cup :) ... i went out in the middle of the night & staked them so they survived being waterlogged. i also planted them in full sun ... your peonies are breath-taking... truly lovely