Peonies from heaven

The ancient descendant from Chinese culture looks and smells simply divine

Rob Proctor, Special to the Rocky

Published June 1, 2007 at midnight

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There are distinct advantages to living in a cold climate. Though the last was a particularly grueling winter - and many of us may have wished to be in California or Florida - we get compensated with flowers now. Tropical gardeners can't grow a number of flowers we treasure that require a cold winter to grow and develop properly. Among these are tulips, lilacs and peonies.

Renowned for its beauty and heavenly fragrance, the peony has been cultivated for about 1,500 years. Ancient porcelain and paintings testify to its esteemed position in Chinese culture. Plants were exported to Japan around A.D. 750; European gardeners began growing them in the late 17th century.

Most peonies are descended from the Chinese species Paeonia lactiflora but there are 32 other species found primarily in Asia and Eastern Europe. Only a handful of these are often found in gardens. The peonies we know and grow are almost always from the Chinese and Japanese lines. Peonies live extraordinarily long lives. This perhaps explains why the names of cultivars are often lost.

Antique varieties may inhabit your garden anonymously. You may have "

The antiques

Antique varieties may inhabit your garden anonymously. You may have +"Sarah Bernhardt," with double rose-pink flowers, "Felix Crousse," with deep pink double blossoms with red center, or "Festiva Maxima," with frilled double white flowers with red flecks. There are dozens of other heirloom varieties. If you have a double-flowered plant with no name, it's likely an antique descended from Chinese bloodlines.

Double-flowered

Double peonies tend to have the most intense fragrances. They're also quite heavy and may flop after a rain. "Peony hoops" are best left in place year-round. The plants grow through the wire structures and help to prevent damage.

Single-flowered

The Japanese can be credited for the development of single-flowered cultivars. Examples include pale pink "Seashell" and aptly named "Scarlett O'Hara."

The bombs

Related to the singles are the "bombs." This odd term describes flowers with broad outer petals with clusters of petaloids nesting in the center resembling a pompom. They're also called anemone-flowered peonies. +"Bowl of Beauty" displays fuchsia pink outer petals with cream petaloids. "President Roosevelt" is a deep pink bomb. Singles and bombs don't have strong fragrances; it is usually light at best but the flowers aren't nearly as heavy. Support is rarely required.

Fern-leaf

One pretty species from Eastern Europe was one of the first foreign plants introduced to Colorado. Immigrants likely brought the fern-leaf peony (P. tenuifolia) to our state via covered wagon. Long-lived and very durable, fern leaf peony is noted for its lacy foliage, short stature, and deep red single or double flowers.

The tree peony

One other species deserves special mention. The tree peony, P suffruticosa, differs from the others because of its permanent woody branch structure, while all others are herbaceous perennials with new growth each year from ground level. Despite being called tree peony, the plant rarely grows taller than 8 feet, even in its native China. What makes the tree peony so special is the size and beauty of its flowers. Often measuring 6 to 8 inches across, the single blossoms are the largest ones of any plant in the garden. The colors are riveting as well, ranging from white to pink, cerise, red, purple, yellow and gold.

Molly the Witch

Another European species has the nearly unpronounceable name P. mlokosewitschii. Gardeners have dubbed it "Molly the Witch," perhaps because of the bewitching beauty of its single lemon yellow flowers. It's one of the few peonies that can easily be grown from seed. It takes four or five years for them to get to blooming size.

Growing tips

Peonies are easy to grow and require only a sunny site and supplemental moisture during dry spells.

Tree peonies benefit from a protected spot away from harsh winds. Some advice:

• Clean up dead peony foliage in early spring and deadhead after flowering.

• Make sure when planting nursery plants to set them at the level they're growing; planting too deep will inhibit flowering.

• Old clumps may need to be moved if the spot they inhabit gets too shady over time. This is the most common reason why flowering diminishes or ceases.

• Divide in late summer if you want to increase your stock.

• Sometimes, especially in a dry year, you may get "bud ball" where the buds fail to open properly.

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