Paeonia emodi Early Windflower

The Early Windflower Peony (Paeonia x emodi) is a vigorous herbaceous Peony hybrid that offers rather early flowering, usually around May 20th, about 10 days before the Late Windflower Peony which it resembles a lot. It is a variety of natural appearance, with its nodding flowers in the manner of Japanese anemones, on finely cut foliage. Easy to grow in all regions, Peonies thrive in loose and rather moist soil, in full sun or light shade. Robust and reliable, they sometimes take a little time to establish themselves, but they develop year after year and can live well over 50 years.

Chinese herbaceous peonies are mainly derived from Paeonia lactiflora, a perennial herbaceous plant native to central and eastern Asia (from eastern Tibet, northern China, to eastern Siberia), where it naturally grows in woods and meadows. This plant belongs to the Ranunculaceae or Paeoniaceae family. There are three major groups of peonies among which we have the herbaceous Peonies, perennial by virtue of their roots, forming a clump of foliage that completely disappears in winter. Botanical peonies are the ancestors of our garden peonies.

The Early Windflower Botanical Peony was obtained by Arthur Percy Saunders (1869-1953) in the United States in 1939. It is the result of a cross between Paeonia emodi and Paeonia veitchii. It is a variety very similar to the Late Windflower hybrid that blooms later. The plant forms a herbaceous and bushy clump, moderately dense, reaching about 80 cm (32in) in all directions, starting from spring. Its single flowers, about 12 cm (5in) in diameter, appear quite early in the season, in May, depending on the climate, for about three weeks. They emerge as a large whitish bud and then open into large single flowers with creamy white petals surrounding a centre filled with golden yellow stamens. The young foliage, purple and shiny, unfolds into large dark green leaves, finely cut. They are carried on a petiole that divides into 3, with lanceolate or ovate-lanceolate segments. The leaflets are entire or sometimes lobed. The vegetation disappears in winter, while the buds persist at ground level and develop in spring. This long-lived perennial plant grows from a large fleshy root that does not appreciate being moved.

Peonies are among those plants that form the foundations of a garden. In the past every garden, from the most modest to the most elaborate, proudly displayed clumps of peony flowers that made their way into the house, keeping company in bouquets with lilacs and bluebells. Natural and charming, the Early Windflower Peony settles into flowerbeds or alongside paths, associated with timeless and unpretentious perennials such as Dark Blue Iris, columbines, bellflowers, perennial geraniums, carnations, or Christmas roses. It can also be grown in the vegetable garden to supply cut flowers for the house. Growing it in a pot is not recommended, as its needs will not be met. Over time, the peony becomes majestic and blooms more abundantly, producing up to 60 flowers. By combining different varieties with staggered flowering times, it is possible to have flowers for 6 weeks from spring to early summer.