Paeonia suffruticosa Wu Long Peng Sheng - Tree Peony

Paeonia suffruticosa 'Wu Long Peng Sheng' is one of the most commonly planted tree peonies in gardens. This variety owes its success to its vigour, its ease of cultivation even in limestone soils, and its abundant flowering, with a deep pink colour and an unmatched glossy shine. Its large double flowers, well-displayed, are sometimes touched with white and green at the centre, giving them a unique personality. They open in spring with a large golden yellow stamen centre, pleasantly fragrant. This fully bloomed bush offers a breathtaking spectacle at maturity, deserving a prominent place in the garden. It is a reliable choice, a magnificent plant accessible to all gardeners, even beginners.

The tree peony 'Wu Long Peng Sheng' 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.

'Wu Long Peng Sheng', of Chinese origin, can be translated as "the black dragon holds a splendid flower". This woody peony slowly forms a sparsely branched shrub with an upright and rounded habit, reaching about 1.30m (4ft) in height and 1.10m (4ft) in width under good growing conditions. The short and upright branches, brownish and slightly knotty, bear an abundance of deeply cut leaves with long lanceolate leaflets, very smooth, strongly veined, reddish when buds burst, quickly becoming bright green on top and more glaucous underneath. The foliage, abundant, is sometimes tinged with purple in summer.

The flowering of this variety 'Wu Long Peng Sheng' takes place for about 3 weeks in mid-April, usually in the middle of the tree peony season, depending on the climate and the year. A 3-year-old plant will produce a single flower in the first year, but 50 after 20 years of cultivation, and even more than 100 at an advanced age. It starts with very large solitary, rounded buds that appear at the end of reddish shoots in late winter. They open into double corollas, upright or horizontal, measuring 16 cm (6in) in diameter and 6 cm (2in) in depth. They are composed of multiple crumpled petals with a very silky, shiny texture. Some flowers show small green petaloids or white petals in their centre. Others are a solid pink-purple, darker and almost reddish-violet at the base. The flower centre is visible, prominent, composed of numerous golden yellow stamens. Their fragrance is pleasant.

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.