Spring at its blooming best
The bold and blousy tree peony captures the spirit of the season like nothing else
THERE are few shrubs quite so glamorous as tree peonies. In late spring, large flowers unfurl from plump buds, their silky smooth petals arranged around a cluster of yellow stamens.
The papery texture of the flowers and architectural foliage may give the impression they are delicate divas that need mollycoddling. Don’t be fooled. Many originate from mountainous parts of East Asia, where they cope admirably with brutal conditions.
Late winter is a great time to plant tree peonies. It might take a year or two for the first flowers to appear on plants, but it’s worth the wait.
A mature tree peony is capable of producing more than 100 flowers from late spring until early summer, and will turn heads for many decades to come. Despite their name, these plants are not actually trees but deciduous shrubs, ranging in height from 3ft to 8ft. They are closely related to herbaceous peonies, equally gorgeous perennials that are stars of summer beds and borders.
Tree peonies are native to China, where they have been cultivated for Paeonia ludlowii has clear yellow flowers at least 2,000 years. Buddhist monks transported plants to Japan in the 8th Century – and hundreds of new varieties were developed from the 1600s onwards.
The plants are still revered in both countries and, apart from their cultural significance, tree peony (Paeonia) roots, flowers and seeds have long been used in Chinese medicine. Botanists named the plants after Paeon, physician to the gods in Greek mythology. We’ve been growing these shrubs in Britain since 1787, when Sir Joseph Banks planted a Paeonia suffruticosa at Kew Gardens. Sir Joseph would be spoilt for choice today, as there are close to 100 different ones available in Britain and many more worldwide. Their cup-, saucer- or bowlshaped blooms can be single, semi-double and fully double, and measure from 2in to 12in across. Flowers come in shades of white, yellow, pink, red and purple, while some have petals that are striped, flecked or rippled with a contrasting colour. Many are fragrant. Among the showiest is Paeonia suffruticosa ‘Dao Jin’, with its 10in-wide, semi-double white and raspberry-red flowers.
DISCOVERED within the grounds of a monastery in China, Paeonia rockii was introduced by American plant-hunter Joseph Rock in the early 20th Century. The 4ft-tall shrub boasts large white flowers with petals blotched with purple at the base.
Of the single colours, P. suffruticosa ‘Koshino-Yuki’ has huge double white flowers, and P. suffruticosa ‘Cardinal Vaughn’ has gorgeous purple flowers. P. suffruticosa ‘Akashigata’ carries lavender-pink blooms with slightly incurved petals, and ‘Kasagayama’ has shell-pink, semidouble flowers on 4ft stems.
My favourite is P. ludlowii. I love its saucer-shaped, yellow flowers that are displayed to perfection against deeply cut leaves in May. Even after the flowers fade, its seedpods continue to add interest when they crack open to reveal shiny black seeds. It grows to about 7ft but can be restricted by pruning.
Tree peonies prefer neutral soil but will cope with ground that is slightly acidic or alkaline. What they can’t bear is anything too soggy. Young growth is susceptible to late frosts, so choose somewhere fairly sheltered or cover stems with fleece if necessary. Another option is grow tree peonies in containers at least 12in in diameter. Fill them with John Innes No3 compost.