Paeonia suffruticosa Wu Jin Yao Hui - Tree Peony

Paeonia suffruticosa 'Wu Jin Yao Hui', which can be translated as 'Shimmering Black Gold', is a variety of tree peony from China that is particularly resistant to unfavorable growing conditions and diseases. Not only is this tree peony sturdy, but it is also highly floriferous, and its sumptuous flowering has a slightly theatrical style that is quite pleasing. Its dark, semi-double, upright, and large flowers open somewhat like roses. Their petals, which are a deep purple-red, have an incomparable lustrous sheen that enhances the golden colour of a beautiful cluster of stamens. This shrub in full bloom offers a breathtaking spectacle at maturity, deserving a prime spot in the garden. It also makes exquisite spring bouquets with its delicately scented flowers.

The 'Wu Jin Yao Hui' tree peony, introduced to China in the 1980s, is a beautiful descendant of the Paeonia suffruticosa or tree peony, which itself originates from central China. This extraordinary species, cultivated for about 1500 years in China and two centuries in Europe, has given rise to numerous cultivars with single or double flowers, in all colours except true blue. The wild form has never been formally identified. In contrast to so-called herbaceous peonies, Paeonia suffruticosa produces a woody framework, one or more small trunks, and sparsely branched knotty branches that persist all year round like shrubs. Its foliage is deciduous, emerging in spring and falling in autumn, often taking on beautiful colours at the end of the season. All these plants, native to the Far East, are very cold-resistant. They belong to the family of Ranunculaceae.

'Wu Jin Yao Hui' slowly forms a sparsely branched shrub with a rather spreading habit, reaching about 1.40 m (5ft) in height and 1.50 m (5ft) in width under good growing conditions. The slender branches of this variety bear finely and longly lobed leaves (lance-shaped), which are very smooth, strongly veined, reddish when buds burst, quickly becoming dark green-blue on the upper surface and lighter underneath. They are often margined with purple.

The flowering of this 'Wu Jin Yao Hui' variety takes place for about 3 weeks in April, usually at the beginning of the tree peony season. A 3-year-old plant will bear a single flower in the first year, but 50 after 20 years of cultivation, and even more than 100 at an advanced age. It starts with very large solitary buds, rounded, appearing at the end of winter at the tips of new reddish shoots. They open into semi-double corollas, upright or held horizontally, measuring 15 to 16 cm (6in) in diameter and 5 cm (2in) in depth. They consist of 4 rows of silky petals, soft to the touch, slightly fringed, arranged around a large cluster of stamens. The red-purple colour of the petals intensifies towards the heart of the flower, becoming darker violet-black. Their fragrance, of medium intensity, is very pleasant.

 The tree peony is not a plant for impatient gardeners. It takes its time, but years of patience are rewarded by the fabulous spectacle created by this opulent shrub laden with huge flowers in spring. In the garden, the 'Lu Mu Ying Yu' tree peony will be sumptuous when planted against a wall, at the forefront of a hedge or in a border, under tall trees, but always sheltered from winds and in a bright and airy location. Its magnificent flowers will be enhanced by those of other white, pink, or mauve peonies, clusters of mauve or white lilacs, or early-flowering China roses (Old Blush). This variety also pairs well with other perennials that bloom before or after it, such as garden irises or campanulas.