You’ll smell “Red Crown Jade Beads” before you see it — that soft, sweet fragrance drifting across the garden on a May morning is hard to forget. This rare Chinese tree peony (Paeonia suffruticosa) is something genuinely different from the herbaceous peonies you may know: a slow-growing, woody shrub that reaches 5–6 feet tall and wide, lives a century or more, and holds its structure above ground all winter long. No guessing where you planted it. No accidentally stepping on emerging shoots.
Blooms arrive April through June — enormous, 6–8 inch flowers in rich red tones. Give it partial shade, especially in afternoon, and water deeply but infrequently; consistently moist soil is the main cause of failure. Hardy in zones 4–9, and drought tolerant once established. Feed with composted manure in spring and fall. Watch for botrytis in wet springs — prune and remove any affected tissue promptly.
Ships as a 2–3 year old bareroot plant, 10–29 inches, already bloomed. Ready to become a heirloom in your garden.
🍂 Shipping & planting window
Peonies ship in fall (September–November) when fully dormant and bare root. This is the only window we ship.
Fall planting gives roots a full season to establish in warm soil before winter. Cold stratification triggers strong, healthy spring growth and reliable bloom production. Spring-shipped peonies experience root damage during active growth, transplant shock during their bloom cycle, and often lose an entire growing season.
📍 Local pickup available year-round in Bellevue, WA.
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