Asia, Europe, and western North America are the native habitats of peonies. The peony was once regarded as the national flower of China (it is now officially the plum blossom). In the seventh century BCE, Tang Dynasty citizens in China started cultivating peonies in the royal courts. Early in the 11th century, Japan became a popular destination for them, and in the 18th century, France and England followed. Peonies started becoming increasingly well-liked in the United States in the late 1800s and early 1900s. In fact, the peony replaced the zinnia as Indiana’s official state flower in 1957.
Do peonies grow in Japan?
The distinctive “language of flowers” in Japanese is called hanakotoba. In essence, each flower has a unique meaning, frequently based on its physical characteristics and/or notable appearances in ancient literature and art. As a result, each floral emblem can be used to represent a certain feeling or mood. We frequently “speak it with flowers” instead of using words to communicate.
Some well-known instances of floral symbolism in Japanese culture are as follows:
Cherry blossom
This is the most well-known flower in Japan as a symbol; in fact, there is a festival to mark the beginning of spring with this bloom (Hanami). Wabi-sabi is a Japanese philosophy that emphasizes acceptance of change and imperfection as well as gentleness and kindness. Cherry blossoms are a symbol of wabi-sabi.
Chrysanthemum
Chrysanthemums are the official flower of Japan’s Emperor and the Imperial family, and they may be found on the country’s passports, 50-yen coins, and the Imperial Seal. It is also thought to stand for rebirth and longevity.
Peony
The peony, a Japanese flower also known as the “King of Flowers,” is seen as a sign of fortune, valor, and honor. It is frequently incorporated into tattoos to represent a care-free attitude.
Lotus
Nothing, so the saying goes, is more enticing and spiritual than a lotus blossom. It is a Buddhist emblem that in Japanese culture stands for purity of the body, speech, and mind.
Where can you find peonies in the world?
Peony or paeony
A flowering plant belonging to the single genus in the family Paeoniaceae, Paeonia, is identified as [2][3]. Asia, Europe, and western North America are the native home of the peony. Although there is a consensus among scientists that 33 species are known, opinions among other scientists range from 25 to 40 on the number of distinct species. [6] It is necessary to clarify the links between the species. [7]
The majority are 0.251 m (13 ft) tall herbaceous perennials, although few are 0.253 m (111 ft) tall woody shrubs. They bloom in late spring and early summer with enormous, frequently fragrant flowers that range in color from purple and pink to red, white, or yellow. They also have compound, deeply lobed leaves. The flower’s flowering period is typically only 710 days long.
In temperate areas, peonies are attractive garden plants. Large-scale sales of cut flowers of herbaceous peonies are also made, but they are often only available in the late spring and early summer. [8]
Chinese or Japanese peonies?
Chinese tree peonies are a specialty of ours at Cricket Hill Garden. Because overall we think Chinese tree peonies are more varied in form, color, and fragrance than their Japanese cousins, we prefer them. The open flower patterns, upright growth habit, and vivid colors that distinguish Japanese tree peony, however, are something that every gardener with an interest in tree peonies cannot not but enjoy.
No native tree peony species exist in Japan. According to historians, the tree peonies, or botan in Japanese, first appeared in Japan in the eighth century CE. It is generally agreed by historians that Buddhist monks—whether Chinese or Japanese—were in charge of delivering tree peonies to Japan. In this setting, tree peonies were viewed as significant medicinal plants rather than beautiful garden plants. The massive transfer of goods and concepts from China to Japan included tree peonies.
Some sources attribute the first introduction of tree peony to Japan to the great Buddhist scholar and monk Kb-Daishi.
Tree peony were cultivated as attractive plants in temple and court gardens throughout the following few hundred years, but it wasn’t until the Edo era (1603 to 1868) that their cultivation spread widely. The introduction of grafting as the primary method of multiplication during this time is primarily to blame for the rapid expansion of tree peony farming. The cities of Tokyo and Kyoto, as well as the western coastal prefectures of Niigata and Shimane, became the primary centers of cultivation and dissemination.
Hyakken’s peonies
Utagawa Shigenobu’s 1866 woodblock print shows tree peonies in a well-known public garden in Tokyo.
Similar to China, tree peonies have deep cultural value in Japan. Tree peonies are a symbol of good fortune and a righteous and noble attitude in Japanese poetry and visual art.
Japanese tree peonies first appeared in western European botanical gardens in the middle of the 19th century. By the 1890s, a number of sizable nurseries with headquarters in Japan were shipping a significant amount of tree peony to both Europe and the US.
The Yokohama Nursery was renowned for its extensive collection of lilies, irises, and tree peonies. From the early 1900s to the eve of World War 2, this nursery sent goods to the United States.
A detail from a 1920s Yokohama Nursery catalog with gorgeous printing. The varieties displayed are, in order, “Peak of Mt. Fuji, also known as Fuji-no-mime, and Kasane Lion, also known as Kasane-jishi.
A side note: For those who think tree peonies are pricey, take into account that a rare book trader will charge you $5,500 for a vintage Yokohama nursery brochure. By comparison, the real Japanese tree peony on our website, which start at $89, are inexpensive!
There has been a lot of misunderstanding about the proper identification of Japanese tree peony among nursery experts and collectors since they were first brought to the United States more than a century ago. Grower John C. Wister expressed his anger in his 1962 book, The Peonies:
“Our difficulties [in correctly classifying Japanese tree peony cultivars] have been caused by some Japanese nurseryman’s negligence or dishonesty. From 1910 to 1925, the main exporters would provide a collection of fifty types under fifty different labels, and all but two or three plants would turn out to be identical. The very same company would provide fifty plants of a unique white kind, and the blooms would open in shades of pink, crimson, and purple.
Since then, unfortunately, little has changed; imported Japanese tree peony continue to frequently have incorrect labels. Whether they lived up to their reputation or not, Japanese tree peonies played a significant role in the hybridization of tree peonies by breeders like Prof. Arthur Saunders and Nassos Daphnis. To develop the stunning yellow and apricot tree peonies like High Noon and Marchioness, these brilliant hybridizers mixed Japanese tree peonies with the species tree peony P. lutea.
Some Japanese tree peony varieties created in the 19th century are still available today. The problem of mislabeling has been less serious as more Japanese tree peony are propagated in the US. We at Cricket Hill Garden promise that every Japanese tree peony we sell is authentic. Here are some of our favorite cultivars of Japanese tree peonies.
called “Black Dragon Brocade” A very dark and highly valued cultivar is kokuryu nisjiki.
The “Seven Gods of Fortune” One of our most colorful dark pink Japanese tree peonies is Shin Shichifukujin.
Perhaps the brightest red tree peony in our entire collection is ‘The Sun’ Taiyo.
Japanese tree peonies frequently exhibit a number of morphological characteristics in both their flower appearance and their development habits. This homogeneity is likely a product of both the Japanese tree peonies’ relatively small genetic ancestry and the producers’ aesthetic choices. Japanese tree peonies commonly have huge blooms, 8–12 in diameter, upward-facing, open semi-double flower shapes, and intensely vivid colors, yet they are frequently less fragrant than Chinese tree peonies. When mature, most shrubs are 4 tall and wide. Compared to its Chinese counterparts, Japanese tree peonies are more erect and less bushy. Many of the highly divided leaves have a bluish green hue.
This plant serves as a good example of how Japanese tree peony tend to grow straight rather than bushy.
The majority of Japanese tree peony are semi-double, however there are some significant outliers to this rule. A few types are considered fine doubles, while a large group of semi-double blossoms are referred to as jishi or lion shape. There blooms are believed to resemble a lion’s mane, which is disheveled and tangled.
Queen of Flowers
Rare Japanese tree peony called Kao blooms completely twice.
Another double form Japanese tree peony is Fusotsukasa, which means “Monitor of the Palace at Sunrise.”
Black Jade Lion
A variety called Hakuojishi is reported to blossom in the shape of a lion’s main.
According to our observations, the bulk of Japanese tree peonies bloom in the middle of the season, following our Chinese tree peonies but blooming before the lutea hybrids. Around June 1st, the Japanese tree peonies at Cricket Hill Garden often reach their peak bloom.
The Kan Botan, often known as “Winter Blooming” tree peonies, are an intriguing subgroup of Japanese tree peonies. Depending on the variety, this type of tree peony blooms in the spring and then reblooms from November to January. The plant only produces a few leaves and much tiny flowers in the winter. It is thought that these unusual varieties date back to the 1700s.
In Japan, straw mats are used to preserve tree peonies that bloom in the winter. At this picture, a tree peony in a park in Tokyo is flowering in December.
It appears that Winter Blooming Tree Peonies were created to thrive in particular temperatures in Japan. We are unaware of any American growers who have been successful in cultivating Kan Botan.
Toichi Itoh, a Japanese plant hybridizer, was the first to successfully cross a tree peony with a herbaceous peony in the 20th century, giving rise to a third kind of peony known as an intersectional peony.
One last thing about herbaceous peonies. Additionally, only few herbaceous peonies are indigenous to Japan.
Herbaceous peonies are not valued as highly as tree peonies in Japan as they are in China.
Because the first herbaceous peonies to flower in the anemone form were initially imported from Japan, anemone form herbaceous peonies are frequently referred to as “Japanese” form in America.
The cultural significance of tree peony in Japan and how they are portrayed in Japanese visual art will be covered in a future blog post.
Where can you find peonies in the US?
Peonies are vibrantly colored flowering plants that make wonderful additions to gardens. They are simple to cultivate and don’t need much maintenance to prosper.
These resilient perennial plants can withstand harsh winters, and some of them may even outlive people.
North of South Carolina and Texas is where the majority of peony are grown in the United States. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) adds that while certain kinds can grow further south, they rarely blossom because the winter temperatures are not cold enough for flower buds to properly mature.
Peonies come in many different types, but the two that are most frequently planted are garden (herbaceous) and tree peonies.
The typical garden peony can be found in many home gardens and comes in a range of bloom shapes.
Garden peonies come in five different varieties, each with a distinctive petal shape. Single, semi-double, double, Japanese, and anemone are among them.
On woody stems with sparse branches, tree peonies can reach eye height. The buds for the upcoming year’s growth are found on the stems, and they are maintained all year long.
What flower grows in Japan?
The unofficial national flower of Japan is the cherry blossom, often known as Sakura or tree flower (KONOHA). In the early history of Japan, it came in second place to plum blossoms (UME). After the eighth century, cherry blossoms roughly surpassed plum blossoms in popularity. While cherry blossoms are denoted by the Japanese character for flower, plum blossoms are depicted by the single character for flower in Chinese.
There are cherry trees planted all everywhere, and wherever you go, the flowers bloom only briefly. Most regrettably, they flower in the spring when the weather is erratic and sudden, brutal rainstorms frequently scatter the pale pink petals.
Because of Japan’s extensive north-south stretch, cherry blossoms bloom at various points around the country during the spring. They begin to bloom in Okinawa and migrate gradually north before coming to an end in Hokkaido. The location of the “cherry-blossom front (SAKURA ZENSEN)” is predicted by the weather service.
In ancient times, people began to enjoy cherry blossoms. Since the Heian Period (794 to 1185) poetry readings under blooming trees were a favorite pastime for elites who enjoyed watching flowers.
During the Azuchi Momoyama Period (1568–1600) and the Edo Period (1603–1868), the populace began to enjoy cherry blossom gazing.
Because cherry blossom petals’ shapes and hues exemplify peoples’ idealized conceptions of simplicity and purity, the Japanese public enjoys them. Just a few days after they are in full bloom, delicate and transient flowers are scattered by strong winds. One cannot possibly visit all cherry blossom viewing locations in his or her lifetime due to the sheer number of locations across the nation that are renowned for their magnificent blossoms.
In Japan, there are numerous varieties of cherry blossoms, the most of which only bloom for a few days in the spring. While there are many planted cherry trees in this well-known viewing area, wild cherry blooms are equally prized.
What are peony said to symbolize in Chinese culture?
Even we periodically need to be reminded of the reasons we have dedicated our land, effort, and love to peonies when we survey our garden of lush bushes and struggle to make way for a dozen more tomato plants here and a hill of squash there. Thinking back on the Chinese experience and our relationships with tree peonies is one way we accomplish this. Peony mania existed in China even before the tulip fever of 17th-century Holland. Tree peonies were well established in the Chinese cultural aesthetic by the Tang dynasty (8–12th centuries CE) as emblems of female beauty, love, riches, and rank. Tree peonies had been a favored subject for Chinese painters by the time of the Song dynasty. They remain one of the traditional subjects until today.
This Ming era painting of two attractive women reminds me of the Tang dynasty poem Teasing by an unidentified author.
Walking into the front courtyard while breaking one off, a gorgeous female smiles. Is the flower nicer than my face, she asked her boyfriend.
Then, in a fit of girlish wrath, she shatters the flower into pieces and throws it at him.
Additionally, tree peonies started to appear in less exclusive but nonetheless exquisite crafts like stone cutting and ceramics.
Our personal contribution to the canon of artwork inspired by peonies is the new Peony Heaven unisex t-shirt. Wear it to the museum or the garden on any given day.
Court Artists of the Qianlong emperor (reigned 1735–1955), Fourth Month Activities.
This Qing period painting depicts the royal preoccupation with tree peony. April seems to be dominated by enjoying the tree peony. To avoid the misconception that peonies are only available to the wealthy, it’s crucial to keep in mind that tree peonies are China’s officially recognized “national flower” for good reason. Tree peonies are one of the cultural treasures, along with dumplings and baijiu, also known as Chinese white lightning, that serve as the cohesive glue that aid in bringing such a huge and diverse community together in a country so frequently split by class and inequality.