TREE PEONIES 
Ancient Chinese called the tree peony, the King of Flowers. 
They lend charm to the garden because they are beautiful, 
rare and hardy. 
These shrubby counterparts of the familiar perennial are 
distinguished principally by their woody stems but usually 
they are taller with bigger flowers and they begin to blossom 
two or three weeks earlier than ordinary peonies. These spec- 
tacular shrubs grow to a height of three to four feet. 
Once a tree peony has been seen in full bloom, many other 
plants will seem unattractive by contrast. The immense beau- 
tiful blossoms display graceful, often crinkled petals, which 
sometimes look as if they were made of crepe paper. All vari- 
eties have a delicious fragrance. The shapely, fine cut leaves 
of these majestic shrubs suggest an appearance of tropical 
luxuriance. 
Since the branches do not die back to the ground in winter 
as do those of soft-stemmed kinds, tree peonies are able to 
put forth buds in Fall. They thus develop faster than other 
species in Spring and by the time they are several years old, 
are capable of blooming in great profusion. After the flowering 
period, the new sprouts gradually turn to wood during the 
summer. Buds form on this wood and the process continues. 
TYPES—COLORS 
At the present time, three distinct types can be distinguished 
—the European, the Japanese and Lutea hybrids. The Euro- 
pean type is usually very double and has broad foliage. Jap- 
anese tree peonies have single, semi-double and full double 
blooms, nearly always with a beautiful cushion or circle of 
yellow stamens in the center. Leaves are much finer and 
thinner than in the European. The lutea hybrids originated 
from a cross between the wild lutea and the other oriental 
varieties. These lutea hybrids are difficult to propagate and 
very rare. 
The colors of both European and Japanese tree peonies 
range from pure white through pale pink, rose, salmon and 
cerise to deepest red. The Japanese have a much broader range 
than the European. Lutea hybrids display colors and shades 
all their own. Yellow ranging from clear tones to orange tints, 
vie for the visitor’s attention with combinations of yellow and 
red. Some of these are unsurpassed even by the rose. In the 
Japanese there are clear whites, pinks, salmons, reds and ma- 
roons that cannot be described in words. The daintiness of 
the semi-doubles and the airiness and sparkle of the full double 
beggar description. 
Tree peonies begin to flower in this area about May 15th 
to 20th. The lutea hybrids open last, about May 20th to 30th. 
Some varieties lend themselves to forcing. All are easy to grow 
in most parts of the country. They have been known to sur- 
vive winter temperatures of twenty to thirty degrees below 
zero and will endure more neglect the year round than most 
plants. 
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