My experience with tree peonies began in complete ignorance of the subject. Fascinated by pictures in a nursery catalog from Japan, I purchased seed – and been growing tree peonies ever since.
Although literature is full of glowing terms describing the flowers, words alone cannot properly describe their beauty. You have to see tree peonies to appreciate them fully. Then, you won’t ever want to be without them.
Introduced into the United States more than a century ago, the tree peony (Paeonia suffruticosa) is still surprisingly rare in American gardens. Although called tree peony, probably to distinguish it from the better known, herbaceous peony, it is a shrub, 3 to 5 feet tall and considerably wider, if given sufficient space.
Growth starts early in spring and stops shortly after the plants start blooming, usually about three weeks before the herbaceous or non-woody peonies begin to flower. Unlike the herbaceous peony, the tops do not die back in fall. The stems continue to grow for several years before they are replaced by new shoots which spring from the crown, just below the soil surface. Mature well-spaced plants may produce dozens of striking blossoms each spring. Flowers are large, sometimes 10 inches across, in white, blush, shades of red from pink through maroon, and the lutea hybrids furnish yellows and apricots.
Once Established Plants Require Almost No Care
Once established under congenial conditions, the plants require almost no care and may thrive for a century or more. In its native home, the tree peony is a mountain plant, flourishing in forest undergrowth where it enjoys a cool well-drained soil with a high humus content and at least partial shade.
Some gardeners claim tree peonies prefer full sunlight, but here in southwest Virginia where I have grown them for years, I find they do best in partial shade. In fact, plants on the north side of my house, where they get only a few hours of morning sun, have the finest foliage, and the flowers last twice as long as on those in full sun. For the Upper South and Middle West I certainly advise partial shading. If tree peonies are planted in full sun, I strongly recommend heavy mulching to keep the soil cool, preserve moisture.
The Chinese varieties, most of which have reached us via Europe, usually have double blossoms, sometimes so heavy that they droop and hang down beneath the foliage. The Japanese varieties, on the other hand, usually hold their blossoms well above the leaves and furnish a majestic display. The flower buds of the Japanese varieties are very rarely damaged by frost, as the buds of the Chinese varieties are occasionally. The Chinese ones rarely give me blossoms for this reason, while the Japanese never completely fail me. I am also convinced that tree peonies are surprisingly winter-hardy, as unprotected plantings in the parks of Rochester, New York, and Milwaukee, Wisconsin, testify.
Grafted Plants
When you buy tree peonies they are almost sure to be grafted plants. The root stock is generally an herbaceous peony which makes a good start but is not sufficiently vigorous to guarantee a long, healthy life. To remedy this I recommend setting the graft union at least 4 inches below soil level.
If the top of the scion is too short to reach the surface, take a small tin can from which the top and bottom have been removed and place it around the top of the plant. Fill the can with coarse sand or, better still, charcoal broken into small pieces. Then draw up the soil around the outside of the can to the normal soil level. The sand or charcoal prevents death and decay from lack of drainage and aeration, which might occur if the terminal bud is covered with soil.
When the shoot appears above the surface, the can may be removed. The purpose of this deep planting is to enable the scion (the tree peony stem grafted on top) to produce its own roots above the graft and thus guarantee long life on the more vigorous roots.
Growing From Seed – Interesting Rewarding Aadventure
Growing tree peonies from seed is an interesting and rewarding adventure. Not only is it easy to increase plants this way, but you never know what you are going to get. From a plant which produced 10-inch purple blossoms, I am growing plants with white, pink, mauve, and purple flowers with assorted blendings and shadings. Most are single, some are semidouble, and one is a magnificent, fully-double rose-pink.
It has been my experience that when fully dried seeds are planted in the spring they do not come up until a year later, but quicker results are achieved by gathering the seeds as they ripen in August and either stratifying (preserving) them in peatmoss or planting than outside immediately. If stratified, they should be kept in a cool place and planted as soon as possible in the spring, at which time they will be sprouted. If seeds are planted outside immediately after they ripen, take care that they are kept moist until winter sets in. Place them about an inch deep in good, friable soil, mulch at once, and remove the mulch in early spring, because the young plants are rather delicate and might decay. If the seedlings are a foot apart, they may be left undisturbed until they begin flowering, which will be in approximately five years.
I am not a landscaper, and so shall not presume to tell you how tree peonies should be used in garden plantings. But, you can be sure of one thing: visitors will be immediately drawn to the tree peonies regardless of the competition offered. So, plant them where they may be inspected at close range.
by H Stone – 61638
