Sunday, March 16

Shady ladies

Species varieties give new dimension to old favorite

One of spring's greatest promises is that of the peony! Here's a plant that inspires passion and obsession. All are bewitching, each more exquisite than the last. In the horticultural version of the "come-hither" look, peonies in full bloom, gently swaying to the music of early spring breezes, toss their luscious blossoms about like so many dance-hall queens. Grow one plant and you're hooked for life.

Peonies are hardy, dependable and very long-lived garden plants. From their perfect plump buds to the full-blown blossoms, these enthralling flowers hold you under their spell. They have interesting foliage and a marvelous range of form and color, which is part of their charm.

The forms most familiar to gardeners are the herbaceous peonies (Paeonia lactiflora), which die back to the ground each fall, and the tree peonies (Paeonia suffruticosa), shrubs that have a persistent woody framework, lose their leaves, but don't die back in winter. However, there is a third group, less familiar to most gardeners, which sets my heart a-flutter. These are the charming wild species peonies.

These aristocratic plants of the peony family tend to tolerate more shade than the hybrids and are at home in a naturalistic setting, inter-planted among larger shrubs, in front of taller and later-blooming garden peonies, or in a woodland garden. Species peonies are some of the first peonies to bloom in the perennial garden and come in a wide range of plant sizes and foliage types. They are alluring "bridge" plants, endowed with a simple charm and grace, with enough height to form a good backdrop to low-growing annuals and perennials, yet compact enough for the slender border. They prefer soil amended with compost, enjoy an annual fall feeding, and don't mind heavy soils, as long as they drain adequately.

These ethereal yet enduring spring blooming plants are found in colors ranging from pure white, soft pastel lavender, pink, vibrant red-orange, lipstick red, multi-colored and even yellow. And their bold boss of yellow stamens adds a delightful contrast to the simple yet elegant flowers. After flowering, the developing seedpods are not particularly impressive, yet in many of the varieties when the seeds ripen, they open to a completely different story. The inside lining of the pods is a shiny satin reddish-pink and holds a cache of infertile seeds of the brightest scarlet intermixed with the shiny turquoise-blue of the fertile ones.

Species peonies that belong in every garden

P. japonica (Japanese peony) -- Unlike many of its more flashy cousins, this demure woodland peony is noted for its compact size, single blooms, and preference for part shade. The small shrubby plant, typically 18 inches tall, produces single, white, fragrant, chalice-shaped blooms with dramatic yellow center stamens. Blooms give way to sensational fall seed receptacles.

P. obovata -- Perfect for light to medium shade, red shoots with a crystalline dusting emerge in early spring, then mature to dark reddish-green egg-shaped leaves. Each 18-inch stem carries a two-inch wide, cup-shaped, solitary white, pink, or red flower with yellow anthers and purple filaments, followed by spectacular seed heads. The foliage provides great textural contrast to hostas and ferns in the woodland garden.

P. veitchii -- A charming, woodland-edge peony that is relatively low growing (12 inches) and easy to grow. This tidy little plant, with its nodding poppy like, golf-ball sized blossoms in colors ranging from cotton-candy pink to light rose or even magenta-red, is one of the latest to emerge from the ground, but then quickly races ahead to be one of the first to bloom. The non-fragrant, semi-cupped, blousey blossoms are quite lovely in their simplicity and nodding habit.


P. tenuifolia (The fern leaf peony) -- Probably the most widely grown and available species. Flowers are approximately four inches across, typically a brilliant lipstick-red in color but varying to magenta, are non-fragrant and usually bloom a good two to three weeks before the standard garden peonies. The finely dissected light green foliage is fern-like and provides interest in the garden from the time it first emerges. Growing 18 inches tall, it is one of those plants that attracts attention whether in bloom or not. Emerging foliage is rather cute, resembling a young conifer or a critter from a Dr. Seuss book, and usually is dormant by mid-summer.

P. anomala - A very attractive plant with silky, somewhat cupped blossoms in various shades of rosy-pink. Native to coniferous woods, this species tolerates dry soil once established. Though I haven't noticed any fragrance, the fact that it blooms even before the fern leaf peony makes it a worthwhile addition to any garden. The plant foliage is very variable in appearance and flower color can range from deep magenta through most shades of pink and even white.


P. mlokosewitschii (The golden peony) -- The best known, or possibly the only true yellow herbaceous peony, "Molly the Witch" is a show stopper! Relatively low growing, it also was one of the hardest to establish in my garden. The bowl-shaped, somewhat fragrant blossoms of yellow, varying in hues from ivory to butter-yellow, are held on sturdy burgundy tinted stems. (Note: Only shades of yellow are the "holy grail" -- the true P. mlokosewitschii). The relatively low growing plant has attractive foliage, which emerges a burgundy color before turning a grayish blue-green with a reddish edge, and goes dormant in mid-summer.

Author of "In Search of Great Plants: The Insider's Guide to the Best Plants in the Midwest," Betty Earl is a Master Gardener, photographer and lecturer. She writes for numerous regional gardening magazines, is a garden scout for both Better Homes & Gardens and Midwest Living magazines and also serves as a regional representative for the Garden Conservancy. She lives and gardens in Naperville.