Paeonia suffruticosa Ri Yue Jin - Tree Peony

Paeonia suffruticosa 'Ri Yue Jin' is a variety of bush peony from Japan that is rare in the horticultural trade. Compact and bushy, it stands out with its vibrant spring flowering. The crumpled scarlet pink petals sometimes touched with white open to reveal a large heart of pleasantly fragrant golden yellow stamens. This bush in full bloom offers a breathtaking spectacle at maturity, and deserves a prime spot in the garden. It also makes magnificent bouquets with its sumptuous flowers. 

The bush peony 'Ri Yue Jin' is a beautiful descendant of Paeonia suffruticosa or tree peony, native to central China. This extraordinary species belonging to the Ranunculaceae family has been cultivated for about 1500 years in China and two centuries in Europe. It is particularly cold-resistant and has given rise to numerous cultivars with single or double flowers in all colours except true blue. The wild form, very enigmatic, has never been formally identified. In contrast to so-called herbaceous peonies, Paeonia suffruticosa produces a woody framework, one or several small trunks, and sparsely branched knotty branches that persist throughout the year, like those of bushes. Its foliage is deciduous, emerging in spring and falling in autumn, often taking on beautiful hues at the end of the season.

'Ri Ye Jin' slowly forms a sparsely branched rounded bush, typically reaching about 1m (3ft) in height, at least as wide, and in good growing conditions can reach up to 1.20m (4ft) in height. The short, upright, brownish, slightly knotty branches bear an abundance of finely cut leaves with long lanceolate leaflets, very smooth, strongly veined, reddish at bud burst and quickly becoming light green on the upper side, more glaucous underneath. The flowering of this variety 'Ri Ye Jin' takes place for about 2 weeks in May. At 3 years old, the plant will only bear a single flower, but over time, the buds will multiply, and a 20-year-old plant can bear up to 50 flowers, with the oldest specimens having up to a hundred. The very large solitary buds, rounded, appear at the end of the reddish new shoots as early as the end of winter. They open up into more or less double corollas, upright or held horizontally, measuring 15 to 18 cm (6 to 7in) in diameter. They are composed of multiple crumpled petals. Some flowers show 2 to 4 outer petals edged and/or streaked with white. Others are a solid pink-red. The flower's heart is clearly visible, prominent, composed of numerous golden yellow stamens. Their fragrance is pleasant, evoking a mix of Damask rose and poppy.

The bush peony is not a plant for impatient gardeners. It takes its time, but the years of patience are rewarded with the fabulous spectacle created by this opulent bush laden with enormous flowers, albeit quite ephemeral in spring. In the garden, the 'Ri Ye Jin' bush peony will look sumptuous isolated against a wall, at the forefront of a hedge or in a bed, under tall trees, but always sheltered from winds and in a bright and airy location. Its splendid flowers will be enhanced by those of other white, purple, pink, or mauve peonies, or early-flowering China roses like Old Blush or Tess of The d'Ubervilles. This variety also pairs well with other perennials such as garden irises, columbines, perennial geraniums, or bellflowers.