IT’S NOT SURPRISING that tree peonies are the national flower of China. The magnificent flowers can be as big as dinner plates. They come in a wide variety of vibrant colors, and many are fragrant.

So, you ask, what exactly is a tree peony? First, it's not a tree; it's a shrub. Think of it more like a hydrangea, or a large, deciduous azalea, because with very few exceptions, tree peonies rarely ...

Most gardeners seem to have a moderate obsession with peonies - and who can blame them? With large flowers and elegant foliage, these plants are crowd-pleasers. Lesser known, however, is the tree ...

Q: Chinese tree peonies are beautiful, but very expensive. Can you tell me the best way to plant and maintain this flower? A: Tree peonies make striking specimen plants, but they fake people out ...

Tree peonies are the Lamborghini of the horticultural world — flashy and outrageously expensive. I prefer hard lemonade to champagne, so I was never tempted into the rarefied world of hundred-dollar ...

SOMETIMES A SINGLE exquisite bloom is enough to take your breath away. Sorting through pictures of tree peony blooms from the Seattle Chinese Garden, more than once I gasped with delight. But to truly ...

There are three kinds of peonies—herbaceous, tree, and intersectional—that have different care needs and uses. Use peonies as in flower beds, mixed beds, along borders, or as statement pieces to add ...

We are blessed with a long growing season in the coastal Bay Area, but sometimes our good fortune is also our bad luck. Just ask peony lovers, and there are many, who have tried to get herbaceous ...

My friend and former colleague had the pleasure of fall blooms on her yellow tree peony. Here's her story, along with a great tip. By Diana Colvin Surprise -- 'Kintoh,' a yellow tree peony in my ...

A: With the exception of one screaming magenta item apparently designed by Busby Berkeley, I have never seen a tree peony I did not want. But even if you are far pickier, the most important difference ...

Ruffled, huge Moutan Peonies have started to bloom on the grounds of Snug Harbor Cultural Center and Botanical Garden in Livingston. Also known as tree peonies, these prolific bushes are native to ...

Honestly, it was love at first sight. I stepped inside the greenhouse, and there it was. Its one blossom was turned toward me. The broad, cupped petals looked like pink velvet, punctuated by a yellow ...