About Peonies

Pe·o·ny (pēˈənē) (pronounced pee-uh-nee) any plant of the genus Paeonia, the only genus in the flowering plant family Paeoniaceae. They are mostly Eurasian species popular as garden and florists’ flowers.  Herbaceous peonies (most varieties of P. lactiflora) are hardy, bushy perennials that die back each year. Large, usually spring-blooming, single, semi-double or double flowers commonly range in shades from red to white.
Tree peonies (P. suffruticosa) have a somewhat woody, persistent base and are usually taller than the herbaceous, with more abundant and larger blossoms. Both herbaceous and tree are very long-lived. Both kinds of peony have long been venerated in their native China and Japan.                                                 Canadian Peony Society: https://peony.ca/

Illustration: Charlotte E. Bowden, 1960

'Scarlett O'Hara' (©Dutch Girl Peonies)