Tree peonies

Tree or woody peonies are plants formed from solid and knotted shrubs of which a small part of new shoots turn to wood every year to slowly create a woody bush that can reach two metres in height and three to four metres in diameter. Between April and May, they produce splendid flowers in various shapes which can reach 30 cm. After the summer, the foliage dries out and falls to leave the shrub bare in autumn and winter. This is the time in which the plant “sleeps” and can be easily transplanted without being compromised. With the arrival of spring again, the plant begins a new vegetative cycle, producing new buds ready to generate big, magnificent flowers. Tree peonies live a long time (even up to one hundred years), growing very slowly.

The tree peony is a rustic plant, very strong and resistant, easy to cultivate, which adapts perfectly to the continental European climate insofar as it is very similar to its natural Chinese habitat.

The peony loves exposure to full sun, but prefers partial shade in hotter climes, allowing for a longer lasting flowering time. It is also better to plant it in places sheltered from the wind.

It prefers cool, rich soils, preferably pH neutral, but adapts to any type of soil from sub-alkaline to sub-acidic, as long as it is well drained.