Paeonia lactiflora "Heartbreaker"

The perils of herbaceous peonies

After the torrential downpour Toronto received two days ago (although much needed), it wasn't exactly a surprise to see this at a client's yard:

Hoops didn't help with these peonies

I suspect this scene has been repeated across our fair city. The timing is awful, the the fat flower buds just about to open. 

Maybe a tree peony, Paeonia suffruticosa, or an Itoh hybrid is the way to go to avoid such carnage? Sure, they are expensive but all this sadness would had been avoided.