Paeonia x suffruticosa Cotton Candy - Tree peony

Paeonia x suffruticosa 'Cotton Candy' (Hua Jing) is a mid-season variety of tree peony, adorned with large, double, delicately crumpled flowers in spring, blending soft pink and pearly white. Its lush foliage and bushy habit make this large plant a wonderful standalone specimen. Its spectacular and refined spring flowering brings a very beautiful romantic touch to the garden. This very hardy shrub will live for many long years without requiring much care. Plant in well-drained soil, in full sun or partial shade, sheltered from strong winds to protect its large flowers.

The tree peony 'Cotton Candy' is also sold under its Chinese name 'Hua Jing', which could be translated as "magnificent serenity" or "peaceful splendour". It is a descendant of Paeonia x suffruticosa or moutan peony, a complex hybrid originating from central China. This plant, 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. Unlike the herbaceous "Chinese" peonies, Paeonia x suffruticosa produces woody branches, one or several small trunks and sparsely divided, knotty branches. Its foliage is deciduous, developing in spring and then falling in autumn. All peonies belong to the Paeoniaceae family.
The 'Cotton Candy' tree peony forms a sparsely branching bush with a rounded habit, reaching between 1.20 m and 1.50 m in all directions depending on growing conditions. The short, upright stems bear deeply lobed, strongly veined, medium green leaves. They turn yellow in autumn before falling. The flowering of this variety lasts approximately 3 weeks between late April and late May, in the middle of the tree peony season. A three-year-old plant will bear a single flower in its first year, but up to 50 after 20 years of cultivation. The large, rounded flower buds open into very double corollas, held upright or horizontally, measuring 15 to 20 cm in diameter. The flower colour is a very pale pink on the periphery, with a deeper pink centre. The dark red heart of the flower is occupied by golden yellow stamens, visible as the flower begins to fade.

A tree peony requires time, but it rewards the patient gardener. Over the years, it becomes a living spectacle, laden with opulent flowers in spring. An old specimen is a sight to behold, either on its own or at the heart of a bed of lower bushes. In the garden, Paeonia suffruticosa 'Cotton Candy' will be splendid, placed against a wall, in front of a hedge or in a border, sheltered from the wind. It will pair wonderfully with peonies of other colours – pure white, deep pink, purple or mauve – and with cluster-flowered bush roses. It also harmonises with perennials that have complementary flowering times, such as Nepetas.