Paeonia x suffruticosa Camouflage - Tree peony

Paeonia x suffruticosa Camouflage ('Dao Jin') is a variety of tree peony that stands out with its large, crumpled flowers randomly marbled in cherry red, white and pink. The flowering offers new combinations each year. It is a mid-season variety that blooms between May and June, depending on the climate. This very hardy shrub is content with good garden soil, where it will live for many long years without requiring much care. Create a focal point in the garden with this large peony; it will be admired by all your visitors!

The tree peony Paeonia × suffruticosa 'Camouflage' or 'Dao Jin', sometimes sold under the names 'Shima-Nishiki' or 'Royal Elegance', belongs to the Paeoniaceae family. This variety is a complex hybrid resulting from cross-breeding between various woody peony species, notably Paeonia jishanensis and Paeonia rockii. It is believed to have been selected in Japan and is considered a chimaera of the 'Tayio' cultivar. The tree peony is a native of China that has been cultivated for millennia for its ornamental and medicinal qualities.
The 'Camouflage' tree peony is distinguished by its bicoloured raspberry red flowers marbled with white and pale pink. This deciduous shrub has an upright habit with robust woody stems. Its growth is slow to moderate, the plant reaching a height and spread of 1m to 1.5m at maturity. The semi-double to double flowers measure between 20 and 25 cm in diameter. The flowers are generally variegated with red, pink and white, but some are completely red, others completely white. It sometimes happens that all three types of flowers coexist on the plant. They bloom in spring, from May or June, depending on the climate. At full bloom, the flowers reveal a dark red heart and a bunch of yellow stamens. The deeply lobed foliage is green with a slight bronze tint and is deciduous. It falls in autumn and reappears in spring. The stems have a greyish-brown bark. 
In China, the tree peony is nicknamed "Queen of Flowers" and symbolises wealth and honour. It is often depicted in traditional Chinese art and celebrated at dedicated festivals.

A venerable specimen of Paeonia suffruticosa 'Camouflage' will stand out as an isolated specimen or in the foreground of a shrub border. This bush is not suitable for impatient gardeners. It takes its time, but years of patience are rewarded with the incredible spectacle of its vegetation laden with enormous flowers. In the garden, place it sheltered from the wind, in an open and bright space. Showcase it against a wall, in front of a hedge or in a border. You can pair it with a simple pale pink tree peony ('Lilac') or a double white one ('Xue Ta'). This plant also pairs well with other perennials that flower before or after it, such as bellflowers. Also consider sowing Love-in-a-mist near your tree peonies.