My First And Only Tree Peony

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A sea of wild peonies is one of my childhood memories. We were little, and the plants seemed to be very high. The flowers were white and pink. When I saw the first plant, I wanted to pick it up and take it home. Then, I saw another one and couldn' t

decide which one was better. Then, another and another. I was walking from flower to flower. It was a clear sunny day and the air was filled with an unbelievable aroma. When at last I lifted my head and looked around, I realized we were surrounded by hundreds, maybe thousands, of peonies.

It was one of the small islands on the Bikin river in the Russian Far East. We went there by boat. My family had potatoes planted there. It's hard to believe, but in those days, people in rural areas used to start vegetable gardens wherever they could find a good size lot with nice soil. Remember, the land belonged to the people in the USSR! There was no private property. I am not sure you could do it now, but there we were - on our own, on some small island in the kingdom of wild peonies.

I love peonies since then. Those were herbaceous peonies - Paeonia lactiflora, a native of Siberia, called Chinese peony with the large, opulent flowers. Tree peonies (Paeonia suffruticosa) are deciduous shrubs. Their height is usually 3 or 4 feet, but some can grow as tall as 6 feet. The Chinese were the first to cultivate them. The results of their work are large double flowers on the plants which sometimes needed stalking. ( By the way, Tree Peony is regarded as the national flower of China.) The Japanese form of peony has lighter, simpler flowers. From the East, the peony was imported to Europe where new cultivars were created.

One lady at the NW Flower and Garden Show told me that the tree peony is a plant that many people would dig out when they move to a new place. A gift card from my husband speeded up my decision to acquire it. Here it is, 2007.

I was so concerned about finding the right place for it that it spent two winters in a pot while I was thinking. It didn't bloom last year. This spring, at last, I planted it in front of the house.

They don't recommend early morning sun for tree peony. I learned it late and this is exactly where I chose the spot for him - eastern exposure, morning sun. Well, maybe they are wrong, because it blooms right now and the blooms are wonderful.

It's recommended to remove all buds from the plant for the first two years to get better blooms. I never did it. My plant is more than two years old. It had just two buds (three buds in 2007 when I bought it). I am not patient and wanted to see them badly!

Peonies like full sun (light afternoon shade in warmer climates), rich, neutral well-drained soil and are hardy from zones 3 to 8. They also say that peonies will grow in part shade and in many different types of soil if you never let them dry or get waterlogged.

It's recommended to plant them with a handful of blood and bone and mulch every fall with garden compost mixed with blood and bone.
Tree peony doesn't like wind and needs good air circulation.

Tree peonies need to be planted 5"-6" below the soil according to some books, while others say to plant them 3-4" below the grafted portion (3" if they are container grown). Grafted plants (I understand this is what we buy from nurseries) may send up suckers of herbaceous peony that need to be removed. Such suckers have greener leaves and aren't as finely cut as tree peony leaves).

Pruning is recommended to be done in February if needed. Dead or diseased wood should be cut back to a new bud, or down to soil level. They say that the old plants respond well to pruning. Take one main stem a year down to a live bud about a foot above the soil.

These factors can contribute to a plant not producing any blooms:

- A plant is too young

- Spot is too shady or overcrowded

- Too deeply planted

- Plant was exposed to late freeze

- Too much nitrogen or too little phosphorus or potassium

- Disease.

As for desease and pests, A-Z Encyclopedia of Garden Plants says the peony is prone to Verticillium wilt, ringspot virus, tip blight, stem rot, Botrytis blight, leaf blotch, Japanese beetle and nematodes. Peony Wilt is a fungal disease which can be controlled with good hygiene and air circulation around the plants.

Mature plants don't like to be disturbed. If needed, transplant them in the fall. Experts advise dividing mature peonies rather than transplanting them intact. A plant that is not divided may not bloom for several years! Let the plant die back in the fall, don't cut the foliage and cut the stems back to the ground after the first hard frost.

Peonies need a good cold period of dormancy.

Many parts of the plant - roots, bark, seeds and flowers, are said to have medicinal properties.In the Russian Far East, roots have been wildly used by native people to treat many diseases. Pharmacy-bought peony tincture is used to treat sleeplessness, headache, neurasthenia.

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The pictures of this plant in May 2010 are here: Tree Peony Blooming