Paeonia suffruticosa (Tree Peony)

Da Zong Zi, Deep violet-red flowers are upward facing. Positioned in front of a Cornus ‘Venus’ it makes a spectacular spring display.  Excellent, fast grower. Many lotus or light semi-double, 8-10″ blooms last week of May in zone5.

The tree peony, known as “Mudan” in Chinese, has been grown as an ornamental plant since the Sui Dynasty (581-618) or earlier.  Both tree peony and herbaceous peony were cultivated and used as medicinal plants much earlier.  Paintings and literature suggest that the tree peony has been associated with Chinese culture for over 3,000 years.

Japanese tree peony ‘Taiyo’. Blossoms are the brightest red. Sheath covering the ovaries is dark red. This tree peony makes a strong statement in the garden.Upright growth habit. Vigorous grower, to 4′ tall and 3.5′ wide.

Novus Atlas Sinensis of 1655

The first literature by a European that mentioned tree peonies was Martinus Martini in his Novus Atlas Sinensis of 1655.  Many attempts made to introduce tree peonies to Europe failed.  This was because merchants got the plants from southern China during the Chinese New Year, and those plants were shipped from the north as forcing flowers.

It was not until 1845 that Robert Fortune, an English botanist, traveled to Shanghai and specifically imported 30 varieties of tree peonies.

Shima Daijin

Using Chinese growing and planting techniques, Fortune was able to establish a collection in Britain.  From there, the tree peony quickly spread to France.  During the 19th century, there was a wave of  tree peony popularity.  Today, France has over 200 cultivars, and Britain has about 110 cultivars.  This group of cultivars is mainly from the “Guangzhou” and “Shanghai” forcing plants.  They are very similar to the cultivars of north central China.  The flowers have full petals that droop slightly and are embedded in the leaves.  The yellow-flowering variety is a cross between the north central China cultivars and P. lutea.

Dou Lou, the rarest Japanese tree peony in my garden with crown of greenish yellow petals up to 5″ across, with purple basal markings. Blooms late and profusely on dwarf, spreading plants.