Paeonia lactiflora Victoire de la Marne

Paeonia lactiflora Victoire de la Marne is one of those ancient varieties that bloomed faithfully in the gardens of yesteryear, providing very beautiful flowers to adorn the house. Indifferent to the whims of fashion and the passage of time it stays with us, always sumptuous, offering its double and perfectly round flowers, of a bright red-pink colour, illuminated with white hints on the periphery when fully bloomed. Carried on strong stems, they have impeccable posture. Easy to cultivate, Chinese peonies thrive in any loose and rather moist soil, in the sun. Robust and faithful, they sometimes take a little time to settle, but they grow year after year and can live well over 50 years, surviving the one who planted them.

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.

The variety Victoire de la Marne is a French creation by Dessert, dating back to 1915. The vigorous plant forms an herbaceous and bushy clump from spring onwards, moderately dense, reaching 90 cm (35in) in all directions. Its flowers, 15 to 16 cm (6in) in diameter, are double and appear in May-June, earlier or later depending on the climate, lasting for about two weeks with each one living for 7 to 10 days. They emerge as a large dark pink bud and then bloom into a skillfully disordered pompom of pink-red or light raspberry colour, beautifully illuminated with hints of white on the edges. In this variety the scent of the flowers may be unpleasant. The flower stems are tinged with brown. The young purple and shiny foliage unfolds into large, highly dissected medium green leaves. 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 will develop again 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 humblest to the most elaborate, proudly displayed clumps of peonies that made their way into the house, keeping lilacs and bluebells company in bouquets. Opulent and generous, the Chinese peony Victoire de la Marne can be planted in a flowerbed or alongside a path, combined with timeless perennials such as dark blue or mauve 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. Growing it in a pot is not recommended, as its needs will not be met. Over time, the peony becomes majestic and blooms more and more abundantly, producing up to 60 flowers. By combining different varieties with staggered flowering, it is possible to have flowers for 6 weeks from spring to early summer.
 

The Victoire de la Marne Peony was named to commemorate the victory of the French army allied with the British Expeditionary Force in 1914. The Battle of the Marne gave rise to a famous episode of the First World War, featuring the "Taxis de la Marne".