The peony blooms in such a unique way, will you like it?

Other names for the peony

Shugu, Lujiu, Bairong, Mud Peony, Baiyujin, Luoyang Flower, Wealth Flower .

The growth habits of the peony

It likes a warm, cool, dry, and sunny environment. It likes sunlight, can also tolerate partial shade, tolerates mild alkalinity, fears waterlogging, and fears direct exposure to strong sunlight. It is suitable for growing in loose, fertile, neutral soil. If the soil is too heavy and clayey, it is prone to poor growth.

The suitable temperature for growth is 15~25°C. When the temperature is above 25°C, it enters a dormant state. Between 17~20°C, it blooms most brilliantly. The peony is tolerant of low temperatures, and can overwinter safely even at -30°C. However, in cold northern regions, attention should be paid to keeping it warm in winter to prevent frost damage.

The high-temperature and high-humidity environment of the south is unfavorable for the growth of peonies, so in the south, specific conditions are needed for cultivation to appreciate the extraordinarily beautiful peony flowers.

The morphological characteristics of the peony

The peony is a perennial deciduous small shrub that grows slowly and has a small plant form. The plant height is mostly between 0.5 and 2 m; the roots are fleshy, thick and long, with a woody center, generally 0.5 to 0.8 m in length, and in very few cases the root length can reach 2 m; the color of the root bark and root flesh varies by variety; the peony branches are upright and brittle, round, and several branches grow in clusters from the rhizome to form a shrubby shape. Current-year branches are smooth, herbaceous, yellowish brown, and often split and peel; the leaves are alternate, and the leaf blade is usually a bipinnately compound leaf with three leaflets. The upper part of the peony branch often has simple leaves. The leaflets have shapes such as lanceolate, ovate, and elliptical, and the terminal leaflet often has 2 to 3 lobes. The upper surface of the leaf is dark green or yellow-green, and the lower surface is grayish green, smooth or hairy; the total petiole of the peony is 8 to 20 cm long, with grooves on the surface; the flowers are solitary at the top of the current-year branches, bisexual, large, brightly colored, beautiful and varied in form, with a flower diameter of 10 to 30 cm; the flower colors include ten major colors: white, yellow, pink, red, purplish red, purple, ink purple (black), snow blue (pinkish blue), green, and variegated.

The types of peony

There are many classification methods for peonies. According to plant form, they can be divided into upright type, spreading type, and semi-spreading type; according to bud type, they can be divided into round bud type, narrow bud type, hawk-beak type, and exposed-beak type; according to branching habit, they can be divided into single-branch type and clump-branch type; according to flower color, they can be divided into white, yellow, pink, red, purple, ink purple (black), snow blue (pinkish blue), green, and variegated; according to flowering period, they can be divided into early-flowering type, mid-flowering type, late-flowering type, and autumn-winter type (some varieties have the habit of blooming twice, and after blooming in spring, they can naturally bloom again in autumn and winter, which is called the autumn-winter type); according to flower type, they can be divided into four levels: series, class, group, and type. The four series are the peony series, the rockii peony series, the yellow peony series, and the purple peony series; the two classes are the single-flower class and the terrace-flower class; the two groups are the thousand-layer group and the tower group; below the group, they are divided into several types according to flower shape, such as single-petal type, lotus type, anemone type, crown type, and so on.

After the peony changed from wild to cultivated, due to changes in environmental conditions and continuous artificial selection and cultivation, in addition to variations in flower color, flower type, and early or late flowering period, variations also occurred in plant morphology, root length and thickness, and leaf color and shape.

The flower language of the peony

The peony is the king of a hundred flowers, with meanings of completeness, wealth, and noble elegance. The peony also symbolizes expectation, faint love, devoted effort, and a noble and trustworthy person.