The Blooming Tree Peonies at My Farm
My tree peonies are looking so incredibly beautiful this year.
I adore tree peonies and have been collecting them for a long time. Here at my Bedford, New York farm, I have a tree peony border planted in semi-shade under a stand of giant, maples across from my Summer House. Many of the specimens were transplanted from my Turkey Hill garden while others were added more recently. All of them continue to thrive. Unfortunately, the tree peony season is very short - only seven to 10 days, but these unimaginably large, and often fragrant, white, pink, yellow, red, and burgundy flowers are some of my favorites and they’re blooming right now.
Enjoy these photos and see more of my peonies on my Instagram page @MarthaStewart48 taken by @seenbysharkey.
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- In one corner of my property, beneath these tall trees wrapped in climbing hydrangea vines, is one of my favorite garden borders here at the farm.
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- I love my curving border of tree peonies, Paeonia suffruticosa. There are very few plants that can compete with a tree peony in full bloom. They flower from late April to early May but the season often varies from year to year.
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- Less than two weeks ago, this garden only had one or two blossoming peonies.
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- And yesterday, it was filled with gorgeous, colorful flowers. They look so pretty in front of the blooming azaleas, which were at their peak last week.
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- Unlike the more common herbaceous peonies, which flop over if not staked, tree peonies bloom on graceful woody stems. Many of my established shrubs came from Peony’s Envy in Bernardsville, New Jersey. I also have some from Cricket Hill Garden in Thomaston, Connecticut.
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- Native to Europe and Asia, peonies were brought over to England by the Romans in the year 1200. In ancient times, peonies were used for medicinal purposes including curing headaches, relieving pain during childbirth, and for the treatment of asthma.
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- Peonies are the floral symbol of China. Paintings of peonies are often seen hanging on the wall in order to bring good luck. These large blooms look stunning in any color.
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- In Japan, the peony is looked upon as the humble king of flowers and is a symbol of strength, courage, and future good fortune.
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- Marco Polo, the famous merchant and explorer described peonies as “roses as big as cabbages”. These flowers are nearly 10-inches wide.
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- When planting tree peonies, choose a well-drained location, with four to six hours of direct sun or dappled sun and shade all day – a place protected from drying winds is also helpful.
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- Most tree peonies will grow four to seven feet tall and about four to five feet wide, so select a spot that can also accommodate a mature plant.
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- Tree peonies prefer airy, reasonably open spaces as air movement around the plant helps prevent fungal diseases like peony wilt.
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- They come in colors that include all ranges of white, pink, magenta, and dark maroon.
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- Peonies bloom in a wide range of forms, from simple, elegant singles to massive doubles with hundreds of petals. The best soil for growing must be deep, rich, and loose, with a pH between 6.5 and 7.0 – peonies prefer slightly alkaline soil.
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- The flowers of the tree peony are usually much larger than its herbaceous peony cousins, but both come in single and double forms.
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- Once established, tree peonies are drought-tolerant plants. Excess water will suffocate the roots, so do not water until the soil is dry below the surface.
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- Pink flowers are more fragrant then maroon flowers. Plus, they are deer resistant, which makes them even more appealing.
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- And fall is the best season to plant tree peonies because it helps the development of new roots and the recovery for normal growth the following spring.
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- Nearby, behind my Summer House, I have this stunning formal sunken garden where I grow more gorgeous tree peonies.
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- Look at these beauties – they are also blooming so wonderfully this season. It may take two to three years for a plant to settle in before blooming heavily, but the wait is worth it to any gardener.
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- A mature plant can have an abundance of flowers. Peony leaves are alternate and deeply dissected. Leaflets are stalked, pale green above, blue-green beneath, and up to four inches in size.
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- Tree peonies are heavy feeders and respond well to a generous, early autumn top dressing of bone meal fertilizer. The high potash content encourages flowers to develop. A light sprinkling of a general fertilizer can be applied in spring.
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- Here is a creamy yellow peony blooming perfectly in my Summer House garden.
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- And here’s another yellow peony that’s still opening. Flower buds produce large quantities of nectar which attracts ants. In fact, ants play a role in the opening of flower buds and provide protection against harmful insects. Flowers emit a subtle, sweet fragrance that also attracts pollinating wasps and flies.
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- They don’t need much, but I often prune the tree peonies myself and have found that pruning to about a four to five-foot height creates a wonderful eye-level view of blooms.
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- The peony is a perennial plant that can survive up to 100-years when it is cultivated under optimal conditions. I look forward to many, many seasons of these most impressive flowers.
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