Paeonia ostii Feng Dan Bai - Tree Peony

Paeonia 'Feng Dan Bai', sometimes marketed as 'White Phoenix', is a different tree peony, particularly hardy and easy to grow in various soil and climatic conditions. It is the most famous descendant of the robust Chinese species Paeonia ostii, whose large white silky flowers, simple and fragrant, are admired from the month of March. This rather fast-growing variety will live for many years without requiring much care. A very old shrub peony, it does not need any description, it is simply admired either as a specimen or at the forefront of a shrub grouping.

The tree peony 'Feng Dan Bai' is a very beautiful variety of Paeonia ostii, formerly known as P. suffruticosa subsp. ostii, first seen in 1992. This botanical species is native to the Chinese province of Henan where it is becoming extinct. In nature, it is mainly found in wooded areas and on slopes among thickets, at an altitude between 700 and 1500 m (2297 and 4921ft). This plant native to the Far East is very cold-resistant and belongs to the family Ranunculaceae. Its vigorous and accommodating roots are widely used as a grafting stock for other varieties of shrub peonies.

'Feng Dan Bai' or 'White Phoenix' forms a sparsely branched bush, with a rounded habit, reaching an average size of 1m (3ft) 30cm (12in) in all directions in a few years.  The knotty, brownish and upright branches bear deciduous leaves, which emerge in spring and fall in autumn. They are divided into 11 to 15 long lanceolate leaflets, very smooth, strongly veined, reddish at budbreak, quickly becoming greyish-green to dark green on the upper side, bluish-green below. The autumn colours are often very beautiful, before the leaves fall. The flowering of this variety takes place for 3 to 4 weeks in March-April, it is one of the first shrub peonies to bloom in the garden. A 3-year-old plant will bear a single flower in the first year, but 50 after 20 years of cultivation. It starts with very large solitary buds, green and round, which appear from the end of winter at the tip of the new shoots. They open into upward-facing, single corollas, reaching up to 18cm (7in) in diameter. They are composed of crumpled, white petals, sometimes veined with pink, arranged around a red-tinted centre filled with bright yellow stamens. Their fragrance, with musk accents, is of medium intensity. Its root, like that of its sister 'Feng Dan Fen' with pink flowers, is used in traditional Chinese medicine.

The tree peony is not a plant for impatient gardeners, this beautiful 'White Phoenix' will be appreciated by those who give it 4 to 5 years of good care before witnessing its dazzling flowering from the early days of spring. Few plants can offer a spectacle equivalent to that of a tree peony covered in huge flowers. In the garden, the Feng Dan Bai peony will be sumptuous on its own against a wall, a hedge or in a group, under tall trees, but always protected from strong winds and in a well-ventilated and bright location. Its flowers will be enhanced by those of other peonies (Paeonia tenuifolia) in pink or orange, they will also accompany the double early tulips such as Columbus or Diversen 17th Century. This variety also pairs well with other shrubs or perennials that bloom around the same time such as Prunus triloba Multiplex, Prunus cistena, early garden irises...