I just got back from a trip to Michigan and went to the University of Michigan peony garden while I was there. They have all historic peonies and they had supports on all of them but they used a homemade one. They surrounded each bush with 6-8 bamboo stakes, different heights for different varieties. They strung gardening string around high, mid and low to encircle the entire shrub and also did a grid between the supports, it did amazingly well. They were almost invisible unless you were very close to the plant, looked like it could be put up pretty much any time before blooms opened. The picture attached is Do Tell, probably didn't need the support anyway but you can see it a bit, most of my pictures don't show the stakes at all.

As far as peonies that don't need support, most of the singles, Anenome and semi-doubles would be more upstanding. Mother's Choice is a white double that stands well for me as well as Casablanca. The corals seem to stand up well along with Itohs. If you're thinking about a specific variety make sure it says it's a landscape peony, those are specifically known for their strong stems. Good luck!

I live just 15 miles from the peony garden, beautiful! I am going to get me this one called Do Tell, I love it!

We have 3 or 4 different types of peonies on our property and the single flowered one didn't flop. The others are bent over touching the ground. I wish I knew the cultivar name... it is beautiful. Someone suggested Seashell. Here's a link to my thread

Here is a link that might be useful: GreenHearted's Peonies

Saunders hybrid peonies are excellent for not flopping and have beautiful colors and forms as well. If your space is limited, you should consider growing these. Some of the ones I have that are excellent are Cytherea, Alexander Woollcott, Ellen Cowley, Nova, and Red Red Rose.

Most tree peonies and Itoh peonies don't need support.

This post was edited by littlebin on Thu, Jun 19, 14 at 1:03