Gardening: Peonies

BK and I are going to attempt what might be a foolhardy adventure in planting and growing peonies in zone 8b.  We've ordered bulbs from the Hollingsworth Nursery and will be planting them in some new flower beds he has built.  Hopefully we won't have as brutal of a summer like last year (80 days of over 100 degree temperatures!).  Any advice for peony planting?

New garden flowers

Now that the vegetable garden is planted, B and I turned our attention to the flower gardens.  Landscaping certainly is an art, and one we are not well versed in.  We know what we like, but achieving that is a bit tricky especially when you're trying to plan in advance for how the flowers will eventually look versus the immediate gratification of having what you want right now.  We chose quite a few perennials along with annuals this year and hopefully will keep seeing them year after year!