Paeonia lactiflora Alertie

The Alertie Peony (Paeonia x lactiflora) is a magnificent herbaceous Chinese Peony that offers elegant and fragrant flowering in large, endearing pink pompoms, of a deeper shade towards the centre. It is an ancient variety with early flowering that integrates perfectly into the garden. The blooms rise on rigid stems, dominating intense green foliage, which gives a graceful appearance when in flower and offers up beautiful specimens for bouquets. Robust and faithful, peonies sometimes take a little time to establish themselves but they develop year after year, and can live well over 50 years. Surviving passing trends and the whims of time, whether in a bouquet or in the garden, peony flowers are vibrant, elegant, and seductive, often enhanced by a light and gentle fragrance.

Chinese herbaceous peonies mainly come from Paeonia lactiflora, a perennial herbaceous plant native to central and eastern Asia (from eastern Tibet, northern China, to eastern Siberia), where it naturally grows in woods and meadows. This plant belongs to the Ranunculaceae or Paeoniaceae family. Herbaceous peonies, perennial by virtue of their roots, form a clump of foliage that completely disappears in winter.

The Alertie Chinese Peony forms a herbaceous, bushy, and compact clump from spring onwards, reaching 80 cm (32in) in all directions. Its large, double flowers, 15 to 17 cm (6 to 7in) in diameter, appear rather early, towards the end of May depending on the climate, and last for about three weeks. They bloom at the end of the stems, but also from a few secondary buds. They appear as a pale pink bud and then open into a dense and balanced large pompom, composed of numerous soft pink petals becoming increasingly tousled and deeper pink towards the centre, with a discreet stamen heart. The growth of this variety is good and it has remarkable longevity. The young foliage, purple and shiny, unfolds into large dark green, highly divided leaves. They are carried on a petiole that divides into 3, with lanceolate or ovate-lanceolate segments. The leaflets are entire or sometimes lobed. The vegetation disappears in winter, while the buds persist at ground level and will develop again in spring. This long-lived perennial plant grows from a large fleshy root that does not appreciate being moved.

Chinese peonies are among those plants that make up the foundations of a garden. The Alertie peony thrives in borders or alongside pathways, associated with timeless and unpretentious perennials such as garden irises, columbines, campanulas, perennial geraniums, carnations, or Christmas roses. It can also be grown in the vegetable garden to supply cut flowers for the house. Growing in a pot is not recommended, as its needs will not be met. Over time the peony becomes majestic and blooms more and more abundantly, producing up to 60 flowers. By combining different varieties with staggered flowering times, it is possible to have flowers for 6 weeks from spring to early summer.