December - Christmas Velvet Peony

The botanical art print of Peony (Paeonia) "Christmas Velvet" painting is now available for sale in our store! In addition to peony paintings and prints, in our project, we discuss horticulture and garden design.

Here it is - the twelfth peony in our "Peony of the Month" project! "Christmas Velvet" is the final feature in 2021, concluding this year's collection.

Join us in the "Peony of the Month Chat Show" to find out more about this gorgeous flower. The Chat Show was originally broadcast on Instagram Live at @artbythepeonygirl and is now available here:

Why We Chose Her 

What does the name "Christmas Velvet" bring to your mind? Silky, smooth fabric that is very pleasant to the touch? A beautiful, rich red colour that seems to exclude softness and warmth? You might even be thinking about the red velvet cake! 

Imagining all this, you will understand the reasons behind our December Peony's name! Her ruby-red petals paired with the green foliage create a Christmas colour combination we all know and love! 

Fun fact: this is another red-coloured, 'velvet' peony we feature in other project! The previous one was "Sonoma Velvet Ruby" we described in May - we recommend you take a look at her as well! 

"Christmas Velvet" Peony in Your Garden

"Christmas Velvet" is a herbaceous peony growing up to 90 cm. Originating in the US, she first blossomed in 1987, she is now available in many countries. This peony plant will make a great addition to your garden - there are usually many flower heads on the plant, and the blossoms are big, fluffy, and have gorgeous colours, of course. 

The stems of "Christmas Velvet" are firm and standing upright, holding the big red blossoms above the green leaves. She also has a delicate, sweet fragrance… like a tasty Christmas treat you cannot wait to eat! 

When creating a peony garden design, one of the key things is to put the peony flower in the centre of attention. We recommend using flowers that will not steal the spotlight away from her! So, let's talk about our recommendation for this particular peony.

Since green and red already look quite stunning together, we suggest planting perennials that will support those colours and create a complementary palette. The first perennial we chose is Geum' Pink Petticoats'. It has gorgeous, warm-pink ruffles of flowers showing in the spring. 

Another one is Astrantia major 'Star of Billion'. It's an interesting new variety with many pale-white to bright white petals around a deep burgundy-red centre, corresponding in colours with our peony "Christmas Velvet". 

This Astrantia has big flowerheads, clustered together like pins in a pincushion. Planted around "Christmas Velvet", they will be like stars sprinkled everywhere - a proper Christmas theme! If you like this holiday, then why not? 

These choices will create a red-green-pink mosaic in your garden, captivating your eyes in the spring and early summer months! 

Botanical Art on Your Wall

All peonies from the Peony of the Month collection are painted by Siyuan Ren - the artist who paints peonies. Each peony flower painting is turned into a high-quality fine art print - either as a limited edition, signed A3 giclee prints, or an open-edition, more affordable A4 print. 

"Christmas Velvet" is a modern peony painting, perfect for both chinoiserie fans and those who prefer more accurate, crisp botanical art. They are a great gift idea and will look stunning as mounted giclee prints on your wall! View all peonies from the project and other peony paintings for sale in store!