Plants: Paeonia suffruticosa - tree peony

Tree peonies are beautiful, woody shrubs. Unlike the perennial type, these make woody branches that slowly form a low, mounding shrub. Flowers are large, often double or full, of all possible colours – white, cream, yellow, orange, various shades of pink, purple and red, even violet. Leaves are deeply lobed, mid green, turning multiple of colours in autumn.

Tree peonies are trouble-free plants with almost zero maintenance. They do not have to be pruned or trimmed, all you can do is deadhead spent flowers. They need deep, humus-rich, well-drained soil, preferably moist. They grow in full or partial sun. They are fully hardy in our climate (USDA zone 5 = to -29°C).