Species Peonies - an Introduction
Earlier this year some members of the Canadian Peony Society (CPS) decided to create a special interest group for those members who wanted to learn more about species peonies.
Leo Smit of Mount Uniake, Nova Scotia heads up the CPS species group and has written the following article introducing gardeners to species peonies.
The article introduces the reader to seven herbaceous peony species that are interesting gardeners more and more.
For many years the majority of the peonies in our gardens were cultivated varieties of Paeonia lactiflora. Examples of P. lactiflora cultivars include 'Bev', 'Miss America', 'Doreen', 'Sea Shell' and 'Nice Gal'.
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However more and more we are expanding our gardening horizons and growing hybrid peonies (peonies resulting from the crossing of more than one species). Examples of hybrid peonies include 'Claudia', 'Early Windflower' and 'Cytherea'.
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Somewhere along the road however we gardeners have passed by the species peonies that were used to create many of the hybrids. These plants deserve much more attention and we hope Leo's article will not only serve as a great introduction to these peonies, but also entice you to give them a try in your own garden.
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Introducing Species Peonies
While the species peonies do not have the large spectacular flowers that gardeners generally associate with peonies, they are nonetheless rewarding and still showy plants in other ways. Their attributes (depending on the species) include shorter stature; strong stems which stand through all weathers; interesting foliage shapes, textures and colours; simple flowers of clean lines, with slightly differing bloom times; lower maintenance requirements; and some species have adapted to shady habitats. So they are, in general, excellent landscape plants providing interest from first emergence of the leaves until late summer or well into autumn. A garden with a good selection of species plants and named cultivars will have peonies in flower for more than 6 weeks.
This is in some ways an exciting time to become enthused by species peonies, as the habitats of many are in areas of the former Soviet Union and China which have been essentially closed to "the west" until the early 90's. Even now some habitats remain fairly inaccessible due to armed conflict resulting from the breakup of the USSR. The new accessibility of some species is accompanied by an element of confusion in nomenclature and lack of English-language reference materials and knowledge of the natural variability of the more widely-ranging species, but this enhances the excitement of growing a plant for several years before really knowing what it is you have! It's very important at this stage to exchange cultural information among enthusiasts and casual growers while we are determining which species will be horticulturally useful.
Culturally, some of the species are quite easy in Canadian climates, while others are more demanding and provide a challenge to experienced growers. One of the objectives of the Canadian Peony Society's Species Group is to discover which perform well in our various climates, and what extra care is required to grow the others.
Those interested in joining the Species Group are urged to contact myself, Leo Smit for further information. Novices and experts alike are invited to join in and learn from each other.
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A few words on some representative herbaceous species:
Paeonia lactiflora: This is the historical parent of the majority of the named cultivars, descended through many centuries of selection and breeding in China and more recently in the occident. It is also involved in the parentage of most of the hybrids. Fragrant and extremely hardy. The wild species is almost never grown, and it is mentioned here mainly for perspective.
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Paeonia officinalis: This species is native to woods, scrub and rocky slopes, mainly on limestone, in S. Europe, and is classified geographically into several sub-species. A number of named selections, including doubles of different colours, are propagated as cultivars, most notably cv 'Rubra Plena' which is a huge double very deep red. Flowers in the species are mainly shades of crimson, to about 4" across. Foliage is attractive, with 3 terminal leaflets deeply divided into 3 lobes and tending to dormancy in early fall. Hardy in most of Canada, and fairly easy in good garden soil.
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Paeonia veitchii: A nice tidy plant native to alpine meadows, scrub and mountain steppes in NW China. Flowers are nodding and poppy-like, about 2" across, in shades of pink to magenta, sometimes white; and more than one per stem which makes for an extended bloom period; but non-fragrant. Flowering begins about 3 weeks before the lactiflora cultivars, but there is also a late-blooming form. Stems are strong and self-supporting, to about 2' tall. Foliage is mid-green, deeply cut and very attractive; on some plants the veining has an etched-like texture. Seed pods of some plants may be tinged with red, and the seeds are blue-ish. Quite hardy and easy to grow; suitable for rock gardens and borders. Subspecies woodwardii is similar but about half the height.
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Paeonia anomala: Native to coniferous woods, rocky hillsides amongst shrubs, and in dry steppe grasslands over a large range from the Kola peninsula through the Urals of Russia possibly into N. China (depending on which authority one follows), this species has the most northern range of all. In some respects similar to P veitchii. Flowers are borne one to a stem (side buds may occur in rare instances), upwards facing, about 2" across, ranging in colour from pink (rarely) to deep magenta and with a silky sheen, sometimes white; non-fragrant; among the very earliest to flower. Very sturdy upright stems, to about 2' tall. Shiny green deeply-cut foliage, the width of the segments is variable from about 1/4" to 1". Illustrative photos are usually of the finer foliage and darker flowered form. Seed pods are hairy, the seeds black. Very hardy and easy to grow, with some shade tolerance and drought tolerance too. There are a few subspecies and possibly overlap in appearance with geographically adjacent species.
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Paeonia mlokosewitschii: The Golden Peony. (Worth practising to get the tongue around the name.) Native to sunny slopes in or marginal to hornbeam and oak forest in a small area of the SE Caucasus. Flowers one per stem, to 4" across in shades of yellow varying from ivory to butter-yellow but usually somewhere between; the best known or perhaps only truly yellow herbaceous peony; slight fragrance; blooming about 2 weeks before the lactiflora cultivars. Sturdy burgundy-tinted stems to about 2' tall. Foliage very attractive, emerging in burgundy and becoming greyish blue-green, with large rounded leaflets lasting well into fall and gradually becoming lighter in colour. Interesting seed pods when open: satiny light red lining with small bright red aborted seeds and shiny black or blue-black developed seeds. This plant is traffic-stopping at all stages of growth! It seems to be somewhat more particular in cultivation requirements than the lactifloras, or perhaps there are some root divisions of a non-vigorous plant in circulation. While mlokosewitschii is a diploid, there is a tetraploid species P.steveniana which derived from it millennia ago which is said to be worth seeking out, but information is only just coming available.
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learn more about P. mlokosewitschii
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Paeonia tenuifolia: The Fernleaf Peony. Probably the most widely grown and available species in Canada after P officinalis, although by no means common. Native to dry grasslands in SE Europe. Flowers one per stem, to 4" across, usually startlingly bright red but varying to magenta; non-fragrant; early blooming, about 2½ weeks before the lactiflora cultivars. Foliage is extremely finely divided, with segments from 1 to 5mm wide depending on the plant; bright green in the finest form. The foliage provides outstanding interest from emergence (when it looks like a critter from the pages of Dr. Seuss) until midsummer or early fall, when it usually goes dormant, depending on location. Should be fairly easy of culture although some in Canada have trouble with it or are unhappy with early dormancy. There are several named cultivars available, including double-flowered forms (at least one of which is a few weeks later to bloom than the species proper) and a pink-flowered form.
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learn more about P. tenuifolia
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Paeonia emodi: A distinctive and attractive plant native to forest clearings in the Western Himalayas. Flowers are a pure ice-crystal white, to about 3" across, and with side buds in mature plants. The flower is held high over the leaves, outwards-facing; height about 2-3 ft. Some write-ups indicate it is fragrant. Early-flowering, and looks good with blue-flowered companions such as Aquilegia or masses of Myosotis (forget-me-nots). The delicately-textured foliage is light green, deeply divided with narrow pointed lobes, and with darker stems; the central veins are narrowly furrowed, with a pale green vein clearly visible. Seed pods deep red/brown. Given its origins, it may require extra care in siting in hot and/or humid regions.
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Availability: At present, a few species are available occasionally as roots from or through Canadian sources, but many of them are only available as seed through specialist seed suppliers. We expect in time that several more species will become more widely grown and available to CPS membership and the public.
Leo Smit
Mt. Uniacke, Nova Scotia
Chair
Species Group of the Canadian Peony Society
Species photos by Leo Smit
except P. emodi by Denis Wilson, P. officinalis and P. veitchii var beresowskii
by Lindsay D'Aoust
Leo's email address is: species@peony.ca