Paeonia anomala

Paeonia anomala, widespread up to Siberia, is one of the hardiest botanical peonies and one of the easiest to acclimatise to the garden. This rare wild plant blooms as early as April depending on the climate, making it one of the first peonies to light up the garden. Its simple and silky flowers display a deep and vibrant pink colour, sometimes tinged with hints of lilac, and are centred around a large heart of soft yellow stamens. The flowering is enhanced by foliage of brilliant green, deeply cut and beautifully textured. This wild peony thrives in the same conditions as Chinese peonies, in well-drained, ordinary soil, in a sunny or semi-shaded site. 

Paeonia anomala is a perennial herbaceous plant with large fleshy rhizomes, originating from a vast region that stretches from Europe to Asia. It can be found from Siberia to Central Asia, Mongolia, and northern China. Its natural habitat consists of coniferous woods, dry meadows, and rocky hills. In our gardens, it thrives in the same conditions as most other peonies, in well-drained and fertile soil. Like all peonies, it belongs to the Ranunculaceae or Paeoniaceae family. It is a very hardy plant, especially when protected by a snowy mantle. Its growth is slow during the first years, eventually forming a bushy clump measuring 60 to 90 cm (24 to 35in) in all directions. Its stems bear leaves divided into numerous leaflets, deeply incised into 2 or 4 narrow segments, and pointed at their tips, with a glossy green colour on the upper side, and a matte, bluish hue on the underside. The young spring shoots are tinged with bronze. The cup-shaped flowers appear from April to June, at the end of the stems and in the axils of the leaves, in small clusters of 2 to 4 large flower buds. They measure 7 to 10 cm (3 to 4in) in diameter and are composed of shiny ray florets, dark pink with lilac reflections, surrounding a large heart of soft yellow stamens. When in full bloom the flowers turn upwards to the sky, and when they first open - similar to those of the Meconopsis (Blue Poppy) - they are tilted towards the ground. This slightly scented flowering is followed by the formation of black, round, and smooth seeds, which germinate after exposure to cold.

Peonies are among those plants that form the foundation of a garden. In the past every garden, from the humblest to the most elaborate, proudly displayed clumps of peonies that made their way into the house, keeping  lilacs and bluebells company in bouquets. Charming and wild, Paeonia anomala opens the peony season with elegance and discretion. It thrives in well-drained beds, cool rockeries, or alongside pathways, associated with timeless perennials such as columbines, bellflowers, masterworts, carnations, or Christmas roses. Pot cultivation is not recommended as its needs will not be met. Over time the peony becomes majestic, multiplies, and blooms more and more abundantly.