The differences in peonies

Réjean Millette October 25th 2021 431 views

Peonies are plants with tuberous roots. We distinguish herbaceous peonies and tree peonies, and for a few years now we have Itoh (tree) peonies.

Peonies are easy to grow, but they can be finicky and take a long time to settle, but they live for many years. They don't like to be moved, so the location should be chosen wisely. Finally, they like deep, humus-rich and well-drained soils. Depending on the variety and weather conditions, they bloom from early May to late June.

A well-established peony can live for almost 100 years, but it does not like to be disturbed.

So, we have the Herbaceous Peonies (Paeonia lactiflora)

The majority of these hybrids flower over a period of 15 days, between mid-May and the end of June. Although perennial, the herbaceous peony will disappear completely during the winter. The aerial parts wither from the first cold and the plant will keep eyes at the top of its tuberous roots allowing it to start again in the beautiful days of spring.

They are the most common peonies because they are very easy to grow. There are countless cultivars, most of which come from the species Paeonia lactiflora.

We also have the Tree Peonies (Paeonia suffruticosa)

Although tree peonies are related to ordinary (herbaceous) peonies, they are much larger, reaching up to 6 feet (6 feet). Their shape is more like a shrub than a tree.

Tree peonies are shrubs. They carry woody stems (twigs) that remain visible all year round and can reach up to 3 meters in height.

And finally, we have the Itoh Hybrid Peonies which are also known as intersectional hybrids.

In the 80s, a new type of peonies called 'Itoh' was created: it is a hybrid between the herbaceous peony and the tree peony. Itoh peonies form a vigorous, branched and very floriferous clump as well as a production of opulent flowers, similar to shrub varieties. The stems are reinforced to prevent them from bending under the weight of the flowers. A mulch of dead leaves should protect them from too severe winter frost.

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