Paeonia x suffruticosa Zhao Fen - Tree peony

Paeonia × suffruticosa 'Zhao Fen' or 'Pink of the Past' is a very old Chinese tree peony, cultivated in the Zhao family garden at the beginning of the 19th century. This curious variety bears large, bright powdery pink flowers with a delicate fragrance in spring, whose form varies from a single cup to a very double crown. In the garden, give it a place of honour, near a bench, not far from the terrace or in front of a shrub border.

This tree peony belongs to the Paeoniaceae family. It is one of the Chinese varieties, cultivated for centuries under the name mudan, which in horticultural usage is translated as moutan peony, tree peony or shrubby peony. Paeonia × suffruticosa designates a woody hybrid linked to Paeonia jishanensis × Paeonia rockii. Its birthplace is Henan province, in central China.

'Zhao Fen' belongs to the Zhongyuan group, that of cultivars originating from the central Chinese plains. Its Chinese name, 赵粉, is read as Zhao Fen: the pink of the Zhao. It comes from the Zhao garden of Caozhou, present-day Heze in Shandong, a major Chinese centre for peony cultivation during the Qing dynasty. Its history is linked to the gardens of this family of growers, notably Sangli Yuan, whose peony catalogue was written in 1828 by Zhao Mengjian. Chinese gardeners count it among the great classic peonies, alongside 'Yao Huang', 'Wei Zi' and 'Dou Lu'. In local tradition, the peony was first cultivated for its medicinal root, danpi, before becoming the flower of opulence, of scholars' gardens and painted scenes. Less imperial than 'Yao Huang', less theatrical than 'Wei Zi', 'Zhao Fen' is a graceful plant, with its pink, fragrant and changeable flowers.

'Zhao Fen' is a deciduous shrub: its branches persist in winter, its leaves fall in autumn. The plant forms a spreading bush, branching quite low, reaching 1.20 to 1.50m in height with a similar spread. Its branches are short and thick, but some bend slightly when flowers are numerous. It is a slow-growing plant, but once established, it flowers generously in spring, between mid-April and mid-May depending on the climate. The flowers measure 17 to 20cm in diameter; they are light pink to silvery pinkish-white, well-fragranced. Their form varies greatly: some corollas open like a lotus, others take on an anemone, crown or very double ball appearance. All these forms can appear on the same shrub. The outer petals are broad, thin, supple, arranged in two or three rows. The inner petals are smaller and tighter on very double flowers. Yellow stamens are visible on single or semi-double flowers; single flowers reveal a red pistil. The foliage consists of large, fairly light green leaves, divided into elongated or rounded leaflets, toothed at the edge, which let light through. The fruits, when they form, contain large black seeds that do not faithfully reproduce the cultivar.

Its English name 'Pink of the Past' tells the story of a very old garden filled with pink flowers that hold the memory of past springs. Plant this tree peony as a specimen, sheltered from the wind, in a prominent position. You can also place it in front of very fragrant old roses 'Rose de Rescht', which bloom from May-June, alongside a purple tree peony 'Bai Yuan Hong Xia' and a small pink Japanese spirea 'Crispa'.
This variety is sometimes grown in pots for forcing: growers pot it in autumn, then control cold and heat to obtain flowers for the festive season.