In my friend's garden, there is a special tree that has many peony flowers.It is 8.2 feet high. Each time, when I walk in her garden,the strong fragrance of the peony tree intoxicated me.
Do you have any special tree ? Share with me !
Have you ever seen a tree like this ?
I can see why you have that beautiful tree. You are in China!! Gorgeous.
Yes. I'm in China. Do you know about rockii tree peony? Chinese people all like it very much.The diameter of tis flower can reach 0.6-0.8 feet ! I have passion on peony !
Oh it is beyond gorgeous. But could be any of many tree peonies. It must be very old and the shape is wonderful. thanks for sharing.
Yes. It is old. A Chinese saying claims that if you plant a peony you plant it for you, your children and your children’s children.
I had hoped so. I had two though not rockii and many people here have tree peonies although I think perhaps more have herbaceous. Mice ate the trunks and killed them both. They were so pretty though just babies (only 3 years old)
I hope that I live to see the day when my Rockii peonies from Zhongchuan Nursery reach this size! They are truly heirloom specimens to be cherished by many generations. There are not that many photos of mature Rockii peonies for others to see, so thank you for sharing this one!
Mary
I'm so happy that you like them. If you want to see more photos about rockii peonies,you can see them on the zhongchuan peony nursery facebook!
Oberon from AK, how do they overwinter tree peonies there? Do they protect the trunks from freezing?
Nope. Just let them sit. I did cover them for two years just to see if they would finally bloom (after 3 years) and indeed they did. But I had been cutting the bushes back each fall like an idiot and thereby cutting off the flowers for the next year. I stopped doing that the same winter I covered them. So not sure what caused the blooms. The next year mice decided that those nice little cages with burlap and such would make fine homes with 'food', e.g. my peonies, readily available. They killed all three, along with many other bushes and trees. I have three more now and will see how they do. They survive the winters fine, only a question if they will bloom without covering.
Well, I don't have any problems with the herbaceous ones, but I had a tree peony in a big tub on the deck and lost it. Don't know if it was the roots froze or the trunk. But if you don't have a problem with the trunks, it must have been the roots. It may not have been established enough, or maybe not insulated enough. I'm suppose to be zone 5.
They say that tree peonies do very well in tubs that they don't have that much of a root structure. I don't see that could be as after three years the roots on the three that dies were very sturdy and well developed. But I would think that leaving the pots out exposed to the weather wouldn't be such a good idea. I have to agree that root death would be my guess on your tree. It will be the second year for one of my new tree peonies with no special protection. And we didn't get a good snowfall til about last week so the ground was pretty exposed. It will be interesting to see if the bush itself grows as they are supposed to in the second year, and blooms in 2014. Sigh. So long to wait.
We live in zone 6, and my Rockii, Chinese, and Japanese tree peonies overwinter in the ground without protection. It is a good idea to mulch around them the first year. Rockii are more hardy than the Chinese and Japanese. Of course the herbaceous thrive here with no trouble. The Rockii come from the Gansu Province in northwest China at high altitude, so are very rugged. They do not tolerate standing water though. The root systems of my 2-3 yr. bare root Rockii were so large that we planted some with a post hole digger,and finally decided it was easier to just use a shovel and dig an 18" hole.
I imagine that Jnette's tree peony would have done O.K. if it were directly planted in the ground. In your zone, try planting your Chinese and Japanese near the house or other building for protection. I have a friend who has over 500 tree peonies in N.J. He has around 100 planted in the ground, and the others are potted in his greenhouses. I think if you have potted peonies in zone 5, it would be best to put them in a garage or other structure that stays above freezing.
Hi Midwest! Thanks for the encouragement. I was so devastated when the mice ate my beautiful tree peonies (2 Japanese and 1 Chinese) that I didn't even want to try again but couldn't resist this summer. I will hope that they do well with our good snow cover. 500 tree peonies!!! Amazing. If I planted them 1 foot apart I couldn't fit them into my garden. I may rethink getting a Rockii though.
Mary
Don't blame you. They are pretty expensive to be experimenting with. Jeanette
You must have some voracious mice in Alaska! We did have a big fat one jump out of our row of sweet potatoes when we dug them. It had eaten parts of many potatoes, and they were ruined! We had one huge one that weighed 5 lbs. that the mouse didn't nibble. There are many mice in the fields around our house, so we feed them - poison! Just can't tolerate a mouse on the loose in the house.
The high cost is why I chose to directly order from Zhongchuan nursery. If you could get a group order together, you would be very pleased with the savings. Ask for "Irene" to assist you with an order.
Mary
Haven't heard of anyone using the coop for a long time. Does it still exist?