Paeonia lactiflora Cytherea

The Cytherea Peony (Paeonia lactiflora) is an herbaceous Peony, a vigorous hybrid that offers very attractive, shimmering and subtly scented flowering. It is an ancient variety with early flowering that produces a large number of semi-double flowers composed of numerous petals of a bright cherry pink, gathered in a cup that closes towards the centre, showing a heart filled with golden yellow stamens. Its almost perfect flowers rise on stiff stems, gracefully dominating the foliage, perfect for vases.

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. Herbaceous peonies, perennial by their roots, form a clump of foliage that completely disappears in winter.

The Cytherea Chinese Peony was obtained by Arthur Percy Saunders in 1953 in the United States. It is the result of hybridisation between Paeonia albiflora and Paeonia lobata. It won the "Landscape Merit" award in 2009 and the "Gold Medal" in 1980 at the American Peony Society, a major peony exhibition in the USA. The plant forms an herbaceous and bushy clump from spring onwards, moderately dense, reaching 80 cm (32in) in all directions. Its large semi-double flowers, about 16 cm (6in) in diameter, appear somewhat early, in May-June depending on the climate, and last for about three weeks. They bloom at the end of the stems but also from some secondary buds. They emerge as a large red-pink bud, then open up into large flowers composed of numerous cherry pink petals gathered in a cup that closes towards the centre, and a heart filled with golden yellow stamens. The growth of this variety is good and it has remarkable longevity. The young purple and shiny foliage unfolds into large dark green leaves, very lobed. They are borne 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 that will develop in spring persist at ground level. This long-lived perennial plant grows from a large fleshy root that does not like to be moved.

Chinese Peonies are among those plants that form the foundations of a garden. The peony thrives in borders or alongside pathways, combined with timeless and unpretentious perennials such as Irises, Columbines, bellflowers, perennial geraniums, carnations or Christmas roses. It can also be grown in the vegetable garden to supply cut flowers for the house. Pot cultivation is not recommended, as its needs will not be met. Over time peonies becomes majestic and bloom ever more abundantly, producing up to 60 flowers. By combining different varieties with staggered flowering, it is possible to have blooms for 6 weeks from spring to early summer.