The Captivating Beauty of Red and White Peony Trees
Peony trees with stunning red and white blooms bring majestic elegance to any garden, These unique flowering shrubs provide gorgeous color along with delightful fragrance Read on to discover why you need a red and white peony tree for your own landscape
What Are Red and White Peony Trees?
Peony trees, which are also called “tree peonies,” are a type of woody shrub that is related to the more common peony plant. Regular peonies lose their stems every winter, but tree peonies keep their woody stems all year and grow new ones in the spring.
These peony shrubs grow around 5-6 feet tall and wide. Their flowers are often larger than herbaceous types, sometimes reaching over 10 inches across. Blooms appear in late spring, showing off shades of white, pink, red, purple and yellow.
One popular variety is the Shimanishiki tree peony. This Japanese cultivar produces stunning red and white striped flowers. Petals start out creamy white near the edges then fade into bold red stripes toward the center. It’s an eye-catching bicolor display.
Where to Grow Red and White Peony Trees
Red and white peony trees thrive in USDA zones 4-9. Pick a spot with full sun to encourage the best bloom production. They prefer moist, well-drained soil enriched with organic matter. Space trees 4-6 feet apart to allow room for growth.
To showcase the vivid flowers, try displaying a Shimanishiki peony as:
- A focal point in a perennial bed
- Planted along a walkway
- In a foundation planting near the entrance
- Flanking a bench or arbor
- A dramatic container planting on the patio
Pair it with roses, catmint, coral bells and other spring-blooming companions. It also pops beautifully against evergreens like boxwood, spruce and juniper.
Caring for Red and White Peony Trees
Red and white peony trees are relatively low maintenance once established. Follow these care tips:
- Apply a balanced fertilizer or compost in early spring.
- Water weekly if rainfall is less than 1 inch.
- Stake taller plants to protect from wind damage.
- Prune right after flowering to shape and improve air circulation.
- Mulch around the base to conserve moisture and reduce weeds.
- Monitor for issues like botrytis, root rot or scale infestations.
- Propagate by grafting to replicate the variety.
If you put these beautiful peonies in the right spot and take care of them according to their basic needs, they will bloom for years to come.
When Do Red and White Peony Trees Bloom?
One great thing about the Shimanishiki peony is that it blooms for a long time. Depending on where you live, the flowers start to open in late April or early May. Peak bloom typically lasts 2-3 weeks.
Scattered blossoms continue into early June with regular deadheading. The flower buds come out wrapped in fuzzy silver husks, and then the pretty striped blooms open.
Up close, the delicate petals have a lightly ruffled, crepe paper look. The eye-catching contrast of bold red stripes over creamy white really makes these flowers pop in the landscape.
Add Fragrance and Charm with Red and White Peonies
There are many reasons to love peonies, from their sumptuous flowers to easy care nature. But the Shimanishiki red and white tree peony offers something extra special.
Its enormous striped blooms provide captivating color along with a light, sweet scent. Display one of these beauties in your garden to enjoy months of floral magic. Let the elegant red and white peony tree become your new garden focal point and springtime treasure.
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Truly gorgeous, reliable and long-lived in the sunny perennial garden, the Peony family has a myriad of varieties, colors, and habits to choose from. Bush or classic garden peonies produce, 2-3′ tall and wide, rounded mounds of lobed foliage and 3-6″ wide, fluffy, fragrant flowers in shades of red, pink and white. Peony trees grow 3-5′ tall into an erect, openly branched shrub with 6-8″ wide, exotic colored blossoms ranging in red, pink, yellow and white. Itoh peonies are essentially a cross of bush and tree peonies with a shrubby, round habit, sturdy stems, and large, repeat blooming, exotic colored blossoms in violet, red, pink, orange, yellow, and white. They are excellent deer- resistant plants, too. Shop our selection of peony varieties online now.
Plant in well-drained, nutrient rich soil amended with organic matter like Petitti Planting Mix. Water well after planting; maintain 1” of water, once a week the first year. Use Plant-tone and Iron-tone in spring or at planting; apply Osmocote in summer. Mulch 1-2” to suppress weeds and retain soil moisture. Divide in fall when necessary.
- Sunlight Needs Sun to Part Shade
- Bloom Time Spring and Summer
- Height 2-5
- Width 2-5
Plant with cut flowers such as Baptisia, Garden Phlox, yarrow, and Lilies.
- Watch this video with Noelle to learn the difference between Tree, Bush, and Itoh Peonies and how to grow them in Northeast Ohio. The Peony family has many different types, colors, and habits, so how do you choose the best one for your garden? Watch this video with Noelle to learn the difference between Tree, Bush, and Itoh Peonies and how to grow them in Northeast Ohio. Besides that, she talks about the connection between peonies and ants and the best time to divide and move these lovely perennials so they can grow well.
- Horticulturist and Education Manager at Petitti Garden Centers, Noelle, talks about how to divide hostas and other perennials in this video. Watch it to learn more about the best way to divide these plants and the best time of year to do it. Want to divide your overgrown hostas but don’t know where to start? Watch this video with Noelle, Horticulturist and Education Manager at Petitti Garden Centers, to find out the best way to divide hostas and the best time of year to do it. In fact, this is the best way to divide most perennials! Noelle also talks about which perennials are hard to divide and transplant (peonies, poppies, and iris) and how to best handle those tasks.
- Perennials That Do Well in Shade: These plants will give your shade garden the pop of color you’ve been looking for. Perennials That Do Well in Shade: Does your yard get a lot of shade? These perennials will give your shade garden the pop of color you’ve been looking for.
Planting Peonies (Plants & Tubers) in My Garden! // Garden Answer
FAQ
Where is the best place to plant a peony tree?
Where to plantPlant in a sunny or lightly-shaded position. Tree peonies are very hardy, but the foliage and flower buds can be damaged by late frosts so avoid frost pockets. Choose a sheltered position to prevent damage to flowers and foliage by strong winds.
What is the difference between a peony bush and a peony tree?
Bush or classic garden peonies produce, 2-3′ tall and wide, rounded mounds of lobed foliage and 3-6″ wide, fluffy, fragrant flowers in shades of red, pink and white. Peony trees grow 3-5′ tall into an erect, openly branched shrub with 6-8″ wide, exotic colored blossoms ranging in red, pink, yellow and white.
What is the rarest color of peony?
These popular plantings flower in a rainbow of hues—every color, that is, but blue. Purple is the most rare peony color.
Why are tree peonies so expensive?
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The Columbus Dispatchhttps://www.dispatch.comTree peonies slow but worth wait – The Columbus DispatchMay 15, 2011 — One reason for the high cost is that tree peonies are sometimes propagated by being grafted upon roots of herbaceous peonies, and 50 percent success…
