Blaney at the Horticulture Department at Oregon State University carried out experiments from 1956 to 1958 on the viability of propagating tree peonies from cuttings. It’s also difficult to grow tree peonies from cuttings. On top of that, hybrid seeds will not grow true to type, although they may strongly resemble the parent plant. It’s generally not a good idea to grow tree peonies from seed, as it can take up to two years for the seed to germinate naturally and up to seven years for the plant to begin to flower. There are a few ways to start these plants. There are currently over 600 different cultivars available commercially, so I hope you’ll find one that you love and enjoy. Once in Europe, the plants would be hybridized again to form many of the modern hybrids we know today. The interest in woody peonies would eventually spill across Asia and into Europe. In Sandra Knapp’s book “Plant Discoveries: A Botanist’s Voyage Through Plant Exploration” she describes the popularity as more of a craze, similar to the tulip craze in Holland around the 17th century. They would later become popular ornamental plants across China during the reign of Empress Wu Zetian of the Tang Dynasty. However, if you’re trying to cross-pollinate to create new varieties, note that most lutea hybrids don’t produce much pollen and shouldn’t be used for this purpose. The blooms of all varieties will attract pollinators like butterflies and bees. x rockii cultivars are commonly sweetly scented, while lutea hybrids are generally known to have citrusy or vanilla-scented flowers. Scents range from sweet to spicy, and even earthy or dank, like mushrooms. x suffruticosa cultivars are the most fragrant. You’re in luck – we put together this guide to help you decipher all the different types of peony flowers.Īs far as size goes, some tree peony blooms are as large as 12 inches in diameter and others may be as small as two inches in diameter, but generally, most blooms average between seven and 10 inches across. There are so many different forms these flowers can take, it can get a bit mind-boggling. Petals closer to the stamen are more ruffled, obstructing it completely. Double – multi-layered petals with a bowl-shaped flower.Stamen is still visible, but partially obstructed by the additional layers of petals. Semi-double – two to three layers of petals with a bowl-shaped flower.Single – one or two layers of petals with a bowl-shaped flower.Tree peony flowers can come in a range of forms that generally fall into the following categories: x rockii, blooms appear on old wood, or branches grown the previous season, on stems that reach a maximum of six inches in length. The window for flowering will vary based on your specific cultivar and growing zone, but is usually in late spring to early summer, generally from May to early June.įor both P. Tree peonies have a very short bloom time of five to 10 days. They can thrive in optimal conditions for up to 100 years. These shrubs, once established, can live for generations. Although their stems die back in the winter, the flowers will bloom on new spring shoots – unlike P. These have blooms in shades of yellow, pinky copper, red, and bronze. Lutea hybrids are known in horticultural circles as the main group used to create intersectional hybrid peonies. According to the American Peony Society, some cultivars of P. They can take a bit of a beating when it comes to heat, drought, and cold weather. The flowers in this group come in many different colors, from various shades of white, pink, and red, to maroon, purple, and bicolored. x suffruticosa is a group with the largest, and most diverse cultivars. Classic Japanese and Chinese peony, Moutan peony, or P. The best way to understand these plants is to first have a grasp of the main hybrid groups. The American Peony Society even explains that referring to woody-stemmed types as tree peonies is incorrect, as they are technically shrubs. There is much disagreement among growers and horticulturalists on how best to describe and classify these plants. suffruticosa instead of the hybrid designation P. You may see many types of tree peonies referred to as their own species, P. delavayi, also known as Delavay’s tree peony, a species native to China. x suffruticosa, the Chinese hybrids, and P. Woody-stemmed peonies originated in China around 1,500 years ago.
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