Paeonia

Paeonia beresowskyi

This is a garden stock of this rare and unusual herbaceous species from the far west of China and adjacent Tibet.

A taller plant than the perhaps related P. veitchii with flowers of bright carmine red, the colour of raspberry water-ice. In the centre of the flower sits a yellow boss, made up of pendant yellow anthers hanging on long filaments which swing in the wind. The broad, blue-hinted leaves have a reddish tinge.

Stocks are always limited and this is a very choice and slow-growing plant, taking an age to make any size.

Paeonia beresowskyipaeberber	£33.50		1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15
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Paeonia broteroi

A fabulous species, limited to the Iberian peninsula from whence it was described as long ago as 1842. It makes stems up to about 45cm tall with leaves, each divided into 10-20 narrowly elliptical, glabrous segments.

Above the foliage are held freely produced, bowl shaped flowers of bright pale pink, these tone to deep pink-rose at the petals edges whilst the whole bloom is contrasted with a central golden boss. Individual blooms can be from 8-15 cm in diameter. Under the flowers are densely tomentose follicles.

Becoming rare in the wild as progress and agriculture push back its already sparse distribution, it is now limited to the mountain areas of Spain and Portugal, but though rare it is totally growable, our plants stem from a long- established horticultural stock.

Garden soil, leaf enriched for best results, light shade and a site sheltered from strong winds.

Paeonia broteroipaebrobro	£47.50		1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15
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Paeonia caucasica

This is the Caucasian member of the mascula complex, with decorative sage-coloured, green foliage, that lacks hairs. The underside is shiny purple-red.

The flowers open in April here and are sumptuous open bowl-shaped goblets of intense rosy-red to red-pink.

These plants are propagations from a seed-grown stock, itself raised from material originally found in the Daba Forest in Georgia.

Paeonia caucasicapaecaucau	£18.50		1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15
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Paeonia coriacea

Smooth broad leathery leaflets looking like green pewter are held on red stems below superb bowls of rose-pink purple flowers early in the year.

A very attainable species from Spain. On the slow side to make large plants, but not difficult and so distinct that it more than merits attention.

Paeonia emodi

This was raised, by division, from plants passed originally from Highdown, the old garden of Sir Frederick Stern.

Superb great white chalices with a central boss of yellow anthers. One of the most stunning and growable of the white Paeonies. These are large, plants, fully capable of flowering in their first year although this is never assured after transplanting.

Paeonia emodipaeemoemo	£38.50		1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15
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Paeonia kavachensis

Lovely glaucous blue-green foliage carry large flowers of eye-hurting magenta-pink in late April. So strongly coloured that you either love it or hate it, but you cannot ignore it!

Easy in well drained, moist soils, lime or mildly acid, in full sun.

Paeonia kavachensis paekavkav	£19.50		1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15
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Paeonia mascula mascula

The true plant and not some mis-named hybrid! 12cm purple flowers, with purple filaments, in April. The sharply pointed glaucous leaves are glabrous on the underside, just as they should be.

The parents were raised from Tbilissi B.G. seed. Flowered mature plants.

Paeonia mascula masculapaemasmas	£29.50		1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15
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Paeonia mascula russii

This makes 30-35cm tall stems each bearing light purple-violet flowers. Softer in colouring than many Mediterranean species, each bloom 10cm across and with white or rose-pink filaments bearing yellow anthers.

Flowering is from April onwards depending on your climate, although this is notably early-blooming. The foliage consists of attractive greyish, biternate leaves with red edges when the leaves are young (and thus at flowering time).

Native to Sardinia, perhaps Corsica as well, but much muddled botanically and most reports from outside of this region refer to other species entirely.

Light shade is best with good drainage, lime soils seem as good as neutral or acid soils as long as none are too extreme.

Paeonia mascula russiipaemasrus	£35.00		1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15
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Paeonia mlokosewitschii

The wonderful Caucasian species, now very rare in the wild, but more in danger from wild hybridisation than from man.

Lovely large, pale lemon-yellow bowls with a large central boss in deep gold. There is just no other species that is like it.

Easy but very slow to make good size. These have taken several years of patient cultivation and this will never be a cheap item.

Paeonia mlokosewitschiipaemlomlo	£49.50		1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15
Mature, cultivated divisions. Large view

Paeonia obovata willmottiae

Paeonia officinalis banatica

A very desirable plant with divided blue-green leaves and superb, large, bowl-shaped flowers of stunning bright pink.

Again I stress that this is the true species officinalis and not the hybrid, so-called officinalis of the garden-centre trade. The true plant is rather slow to make size but these plants grown from seed of our 1982 collection, are large enough.

A rare but highly esteemed early-flowering plant for a well-drained fertile soil in half shade.

Paeonia officinalis True species

A very desirable plant with divided blue-green leaves and superb, large, bowl-shaped flowers of stunning bright pink.

This is the true species and not the so-called officinalis of the garden-centre trade, which is an old, often diseased, compound hybrid. The true species is rather slow to make size but these plants, grown from wild collected Croatian seed, are probably large enough to flower.

A rare but highly desirable plant for a well-drained fertile soil in half shade.

Paeonia peregrina

Ruby-red bowls with pink or red filaments and golden anthers, are held over deeply cleft, glossy-green leaves. One of the most sumptuous and desirable of all of the central European species.

Readily grown in the "usual" situation of light, leafy soil in half shade.

Paeonia peregrinapaeperper	£42.50		1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15
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Paeonia rhodia

Paeonia rhodiapaerhorho	£50.00		1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15
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Paeonia ruprechtiana

Originally from Tbilissi Botanic Gardens, this has attractive purple-brown foliage, which appears in mid-March along with the large, bright pink-purple flowers.

After flowering the stems elongate to 35cm as the foliage fades to green. A little-known Caucasian endemic.