Photo by Clarence Burke.
Botanical name: Paeonia spp.
Common name: Peonies
Family name: Paeoniaceae (Peony family)
Native range:Location in Duke Gardens: Culberson Asiatic Arboretum, Historic Gardens
USDA Hardiness Zones: 3-8; varies by species and cultivar
As the proverb goes, “Slow and steady wins the race” and that is certainly true when it comes to peonies (Paeonia spp.), perennial shrubs that take several years to establish before they flower. Once they get going, however, peonies are the dependable workhorses of the botanical world, blooming steadily each year for decades afterward.
Peonies can be divided into three main types based on their growth patterns: herbaceous peonies, which die back completely during the winter; tree peonies, which have woody stems; and Itoh hybrids, which are crosses between the two. Herbaceous peonies—the most common and best known—make excellent cut flowers; because they are usually blooming in May, they are a popular choice for Mother’s Day flowers in the United States. Tree peonies have been grown for millennia in their native China for both ornamental and medicinal purposes, and bloom as early as March in central North Carolina. By contrast, the Itoh hybrids are relative newcomers on the scene, dating to a series of crosses in the 1940s by Japanese plant breeder Toichi Itoh.
Peonies can also be categorized by their flowers, including single, double, semi-double, triple, anemone and the aptly named “bomb,” which resembles an explosion of petals. Depending on the cultivar, a peony flower may not produce nectar, but many flower buds will produce a special “peony nectar” which frequently attracts ants. The exact reason for this is unclear, but the ants do not harm the flowers. In fact, it is thought they may help protect them from other insects.
Because there is so much variability in the genus, it’s difficult to generalize about peonies, but one thing is for certain—they’re all beautiful. Look for them this spring throughout Duke Gardens, especially in the Terrace Gardens and in the Culberson Asiatic Arboretum, where you’ll find a hybrid tree peony collection on the hillside above the red Meyer Bridge.