A remarkably healthy plant. I've had my Duchesse for about 6 years and this year it produced 40 flowers. I had a major problem with botrytis this year and the Duchesse, Bartzella, and Moonstone were the only peonies that shrugged it off. The flowers are on the small side(around 5 inches)which probably accounts for its better than average rain tolerance--I might be able to get away with not staking it, but I stake it just the same because of the sheer number of flowers. It blooms for about 4 weeks straight, with many side buds. The fragrance is very strong, and similar to mock orange. It's difficult to use as a cut flower because of the many side buds that all open at different times and the short stems, but it's lovely just the same! It's also the only one of my peonies that butterflies are attracted to!