Zi Er Qiao tree peony

Ship in fall.

Plants that are shipped out will be trimmed a little, 1-2 ft tall, with or without leaves depending on the shipping season (with leaves and branches, they’re 2-3 ft tall). NOT the common herbaceous peony plants that die back to the ground. These plants grow to 5-6ft tall and wide, and live for about a hundred years or more. Rarer than common soft stemmed peony or ITOH plants.

Will lose leaves in the winter but never dies down like other herbaceous peonies and any other deciduous plants, but the woody stems will stay above the ground. You won’t have to worry about stepping on your peony because it’s always at least 1ft tall, and it’ll evlentually be as tall as you. It produces huge flowers, about 7-10″ across.

They need afternoon shade, don’t require as much sun as ITOH or herbaceous peonies. Blooms in May-June. Very tough, tolerates harsh winter and hot summer. Zone 4-9. Sun requirement: partial sun, this plant needs afternoon shade, it’s not an herbaceous peony, please don’t put it in full sun and burn it. Bare root plants.

Shrub size: 6ft

Suitable for zones: 4-9

Current size: 10-29″

2-3 year old plant, already bloomed

Bareroot

Growth rate: Slow

Origin: China

Light: Part shade

Water: Excess water will suffocate the roots and is the leading cause of plant failure. Do not plant near auto-sprinkler systems that keep the soils continuously moist. Do not water until soil s dry below the surface and try not to wet leaves when watering to prevent fungus. Be  observant, the soil can dry out on top and still be moist 6-12″ below the surface. When you feel the soil is dry below the first 4-6″ and leaves may droop slightly, water the roots deeply. Climates of hot summer temperatures with little or no rain at all will require more attention to watering then those areas that get some rainfall. Peonies in root control pots will require more watering attention than tree peonies planted in the ground. NOTE: Droopy leaves in the first warm days of spring are caused by an imbalance of the root system and leaf production. If soil has moisture, do not water. This imbalance that will self correct as the plant settles into the growing season. You know this is the cause of the limp leaves if the plant recovers in the evening or early the next morning

Fragrance: Light-medium

Thorns: No thorn

Blooming/fruiting time: April-May

Invasiveness: No

Toxicity/Edibility: Not toxic 

Fertilization: Rabbit or composted chicken/horse manure in spring and fall

Fertility: Self-fertile, benefits from ants, bees, butterflies, ladybugs, lacewings etc

Resistance: Once established, tree peonies are drought tolerant plants

Tree peonies can be vulnerable to attack by peony wilt (Botrytis paeoniae), especially during wet springs. Symptoms are wilting of the flower buds, sometimes accompanied by a fluffy grey mould and, later in the season, brown blotches on the leaves. Botrytis forms sclerotia (hardened fungal bodies) in diseased tissue, which carry the fungus over the winter, so it is important to prune out and destroy infected tissues to prevent this happening.