Field of Science

Friday Fabulous Flower - Yellow tree peony and friend

Next to magnolias and other magnoliales TPP's favorite flowers are tree peonies, and among those nothing is better looking than my yellow tree peonies.  This particular plant is about 4 feet tall and 4 feet in diameter.  This year it has a couple of dozen of these huge yellow flowers.  This year the bastard balm (yes, that's its common name), one of the showier members of the mint family was in full bloom at the same time so everyone gets a two-fer to make up for some of the Friday's missed.  As this is being typed the peony is about 6 feet to my left just below the window, and the floral fragrance, such that it is, a hard to describe floral muskiness is quite evident.  Eh, you don't grow them for their fragrance.  The yellow-flowered tree peonies routinely flower several days behind the white and pink flowered ones.  TPP has one of the Itoh hybrids with yellow flowers but they just aren't as commanding a presence.  They lack the red highlights in the center.  The hybrids are hardy, fast-growing, and vigorous, but they still seem as light beer is to a full-bodied lager.     

1 comment:

JaneB said...

Glorious peonies! Thanks for sharing them