Look for the single flowering plants. They aren't as fancy as the full ones, but I think they flower more & last longer-probably because they aren't flopping over in the mud after a spring storm. Some of my doubles will hold up a little better than others, but all of mine should really be staked.

Just get itoh peonies. None of them will require staking.

Thank you both for your suggestions. I have been waiting for my landscaper to come back and finish the project but it seems like it won't happen this year! Do any of you know where I can get mature good quality peonies?

If you are new to peonies, bartzella is a very popular one to try out as a beginner since it grows very vigorously, doesn't require staking, and makes nice large yellow flowers. Here's a source that is not too expensive. http://www.ebay.com/itm/Itoh-Peony-Bartzella-yellow-ship-late-September-/160883840960?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0amp;hash=item25756c97c0

They tend to drop in price by the spring, but something like this is a good start.

Here's another source with many species, but I would suggest starting small. http://peonyparadise.com/itohpeonies.aspx

Some of them are very expensive, but that doesn't necessarily make them better plants so I would suggest sticking to what you think really looks good. I already have most of the ones on this website, but I'm a peony collector. Itoh peonies are more expensive than herbaceous ones, but you also won't have to deal with the staking, white mildew, ants, or other problems associated with herbaceous types, especially if you want upright peonies.

Thank you, Steve, for the suggestion. The Bartzella peony is beautiful! And I didn't know that Itoh peonies didn't need stalking nor about the diseases and ants. I will certainly consider planting some of those. Thanks for the website link too. :)

The good thing about herbaceous peonies is that they come very cheap, but they will flop over without staking once they flower, at least for most species. They also make good root stock for grafting so I grow those too.

There are also tree peonies, and I start many of those from seeds. These can be prone to botrytis as new grafts or fairly young plants. They also take many years to reach a mature size, but tree peonies would be the way to go if you are looking for something in the long term. It costs around 4-5$ per 1 year old grafted plant if you order them in bulk from China. The seeds are very cheap on eBay, but buying the grafted plants in the U.S. can be expensive.

I'll show you what some of the tree peonies look like. They grow like shrubs, and don't require staking, but only grow a few inches per year unless you buy the Tibetian tree peony which is a giant form. If you are just starting, out, the most fail proof peony to get is the intersectional (itoh) peonies.

Here is a link that might be useful: Latest update on my tree peonies

Nice website! Thanks again!