Paeonia suffruticosa Juan Ye Hong - Tree Peony

Paeonia suffruticosa 'Juan Ye Hong', which can be translated as "red ribbon," is a vigorous variety of Japanese tree peony with vibrant and slightly fragrant spring flowers. Its large, very double flowers open like roses with a tangle of petals that are more pink than red, creating striking colours and revealing the late appearance of a golden yellow stamen centre. This flowering shrub offers a breathtaking spectacle at maturity, deserving a prominent place in the garden. It also makes magnificent bouquets with its splendid flowers. 

The 'Juan Ye Hong' tree peony is a beautiful descendant of Paeonia suffruticosa, native to central China. This extraordinary species, cultivated for about 1500 years in China and two centuries in Europe, has given rise to numerous cultivars with single or double flowers, in all colours except true blue. The wild form has never been formally identified. In contrast to so-called herbaceous peonies, Paeonia suffruticosa produces a woody framework, one or more small trunks, and sparsely branched knotty branches that persist all year round like shrubs. Its foliage is deciduous, emerging in spring and falling in autumn, often taking on beautiful colours at the end of the season. All these plants, native to the Far East, are very cold-resistant. They belong to the family of Ranunculaceae.  P. suffuticosa is highly resistant to cold. 

'Juan Ye Hong', slowly forms a sparsely branched, rounded bush that will reach about 1.40 metres (5 feet) in height, slightly less in width, and 1.50 metres (5 feet) in height under good growing conditions. The short, upright branches bear leaves that are deeply divided into long lanceolate leaflets, very smooth and strongly veined, reddish when buds open and quickly turning medium green on the upper side, bluish green on the underside. The flowering of 'Juan Ye Hong' takes place for about 3 weeks in April-May, typically at the beginning of the tree peony season. A 3-year-old plant will bear a single flower, and over time, the buds will multiply to reach 50 on a 20-year-old plant and over a hundred on the oldest plants. The large, solitary, rounded buds appear at the end of winter at the tips of new reddish shoots. They open into highly double corollas, erect or horizontally borne, measuring 15 to 25 cm (6 to 10in) in diameter. They are composed of multiple crinkled petals, with the flower's center visible before it fades. Their light, pleasant fragrance has hints of lemon.

The tree peony is not a plant for impatient gardeners. It takes its time, but years of patience are rewarded by the fabulous spectacle created by this opulent shrub laden with huge flowers in spring. In the garden, the 'Lu Mu Ying Yu' tree peony will be sumptuous when planted against a wall, at the forefront of a hedge or in a border, under tall trees, but always sheltered from winds and in a bright and airy location. Its magnificent flowers will be enhanced by those of other white, pink, or mauve peonies, clusters of mauve or white lilacs, or early-flowering China roses (Old Blush). This variety also pairs well with other perennials that bloom before or after it, such as garden irises or campanulas.