Peony - Tree - Shimadaijin
15 Jun 2008
Peony - Tree - ShimadaijinThe Tree Peony Shimadaijin, ‘Paeonia’, produces flowers that are large, purplish-red. Every garden needs a tree peony. There was a time, many years ago in ancient China, when the only person who could own a tree peony was the Emperor himself. We’re not sure what the penalty was for infringing this law, but it can’t have been very pleasant. Fortunately for us, tree peonies are now slightly more available. There are very few plants that can compete with a tree peony in full bloom. They flower from late April to early May but the flowering season does vary from year to year. A mature plant can have in excess of a hundred flowers and these can be 10″ or more across! The flowers range in color from maroon, crimson, scarlet, various shades of pink, to pure white. There are also tree peonies with yellow or purple flowers. The Chinese refer to the tree peony as ‘Moutan’. This has been variously translated but probably means ‘The Emperor Flower’. While the tree peony originated in China, it had found its way to Japan by the 8th Century AD. Japanese tree peonies tend to have less double flowers than their Chinese peers, and the flowers are more open and delicate. Growing only 4-5′ tall, these exceptional Tree Peonies are sub-zero hardy and bloom for a lifetime.
