TREE PEONIES -- Long-lived, hardy spring blooms

Tree Peony 'KAMATA-FUJI' blooms can reach 12" across!

Some facts about Tree Peonies -- they have a long history, dating back to 1644, where the Qing Dynasty appointed it the national flower. Native to China, Japan, Southern Europe and Western North America, they are long-lived, deciduous shrubs that will grow in zones 4-9. Paeonia suffruticosa is the plant's botanical name, but it is commonly known as the tree peony. The size of the flowers are amazing--usually in the 6-12" across range. They have woody stems that allow them to survive winter conditions.

This particular tree peony 'KAMATA-FUJI', is a luscious orchid-pink, with dark rose centers and a golden stamen center. We had 91 MPH winds over the weekend, and these buds held up, miraculously. I did wrap the woody stems in burlap strips to prevent breakage of the branches.

Arranging while in bud form, the delicate-looking flowers will quickly unfold to their huge size; three was plenty for this arrangement. Kamata-Fuji is a fully double peony, and it likes rich soil, moist, but not wet, conditions, and afternoon shade or dappled shade to preserve the flowers, which also lengthens their flower bloom.  

I don't cut any blooms its first year, helping to strengthen the tree, and cut minimally the second year.  After that, I use them for arrangements as needed. Their vase life is long. Give them water with a preservative in for maximum life, and keep them out of drafts and direct sunlight.  I love their wonderful fragrance as well.

TREE PEONIES - The Queens of the spring garden

Tree peonies are the first peonies to bloom in spring. Their magnificent blooms are fragrant, huge, and silk-like.  "Sugared Silk" is the first of my tree peonies to bloom. It's blooms can reach 8" across, and a mature tree can have as many as 50 blooms or more.  

This three-year old tree is well on its way to that number. Since they are a tree, don't cut them to the ground in the fall. Their branches will leaf out in the spring, and new shoots will grow from their root system to add additional branches as the years go by.

Their vase life is long.  Cut in the bud, and leave plenty of room, as the gigantic blooms open up and there is little room for anything else in the vase or container.

After blooming, the spent blooms are also beautiful!  However, snip off the spent blooms before too long, as you don't want extra energy going to the pods that will form after the stamens dry up. The foliage on the tree stays green all summer until it turns color in the fall. At that time, remove leaves if desired, but, as I said, DON'T cut to the ground. Simple pruning in the early spring to keep it's shape may be done, but only as a necessity.  

Tree peonies do well in zones 5-8, and like rich, slightly acidic, well-drained soil. They like full sun, but appreciate some shade in the summer months. Plant deeply; most tree peonies are done as graphs, and there will be less chance of the herbaceous peony they grafted it on to shoot out.  If shoots emerge that are herbaceous, carefully dig down and sever that from the root stalk. If allowed to grow, the herbaceous peony will likely smother the tree peony, or, at best, it will not bloom.

There are hundreds of cultivars--all shades of pink, red, purple, bi-colored, white, even yellow! They come in single, semi-double, and fully double varieties.  A garden isn't complete without at least one of these beauties.

TREE PEONIES--2014 BLOOMS

Some of the TREE PEONIES are in bloom today!  I love these big, beautiful, hardy and long-lived plants!  It takes patience--sometimes 5 years before bloom.  However, it is worth it when you see those first heavenly blooms.

TALL BEARDED IRIS AND COMPANION PLANTS IN THE EARLY SPRING GARDEN

I love spring! Walking around the yard today, the spring perennials are starting to leaf out. The iris fans are beautiful, and are about 4-12 inches high. The peony stems are poking out of the soil, some even up to 12 inches tall. The delphinium, foxglove, poppies, daylilies, lupine, and tree peonies are also greening up nicely. The hellebore's are in full bloom, as well as the early daffodils, pansies, primrose and hyacinths. Other bulbs--crown imperials, tulips, and allium, are getting taller and more full. The pussy willow's have exploded into beautiful puffs, and the forsythia's yellow blooms are beginning to unfurl. In another two-three weeks, there will be some great color in the flower beds, and hard to believe that in another two months the iris will be blooming along with their companion plants in the beds.