Did you know? 5 differences between Peonies and Chinese Peonies

From spring to early summer,
large flowers catch your eye during your commute or while taking a walk.

What you saw might have been
a tree peony or a Chinese peony.

Since they look so similar,
many people must be wondering, "Which is which?"

Even if you don't know the difference,
it won't cause any problems in your life
or in enjoying the flowers.

But if you know the difference,
it might be fun to identify them
while walking or at a garden center,
thinking, "That's a Chinese peony" or "That's a tree peony!"

So, this time,
let's thoroughly compare the two.

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5 differences between tree peonies and Chinese peonies that were more than I expected

Both are gorgeous and have a mesmerizing beauty.
There are 5 main points to remember.

The difference between a tree and a herb

First, the biggest difference is that
the tree peony is a type of tree🌳 (deciduous shrub), while the Chinese peony is a type of herb🌿 (perennial plant).

The tree peony's trunk remains even in winter, but
the Chinese peony's above-ground parts wither in winter,
and it sprouts again the following spring.

So for those growing them,
it's easy to remember that "the one with the stem remaining every year is the tree peony"
and "the one that sprouts from bare soil is the Chinese peony."

🍀In my home.
My father planted one of them decades ago,
and knowing nothing about it,
I was surprised in winter, thinking, "It withered!"😳

But that was because it was a Chinese peony.
I was relieved when it grew back the following year.🙌

The shape of the leaves is different

Tree peony leaves have no gloss and have notches, while
Chinese peony leaves have a gloss✨ and are rounded.

Flowering season and how they bloom

The blooming season is also slightly different;
tree peonies bloom from late April to around May,
and Chinese peonies bloom from mid-May to early June.

Also,
while tree peony flowers bloom at the tips of branches, Chinese peonies are characterized by blooming straight up at the tips of their stems.
The proverb "Standing, a Chinese peony; sitting, a tree peony"
might have come from such differences in their appearance.

Buds and Fragrance

Tree peonies are slightly flatter, 🪷
and when they bloom, the petals are a bit larger and
gorgeous.

Herbaceous peony buds are round and cute,
and when they bloom, they open up softly like a rose. 🌹

The fragrance of the herbaceous peony is also slightly sweeter,
giving a gentler impression.

How the petals fall

There is also a difference in how the petals fall.

Tree peony petals fall off one by one.
Herbaceous peonies drop the entire flower at once.

(To grow them, first learn the basics!
It will surely make for a lovely garden 🪷)

Conclusion

How did you find the differences between tree peonies and herbaceous peonies?

For example,
if it has a woody stem and blooms with large flowers in early spring,
it is surely a tree peony.

If it is a flower in an early summer flower bed
with a straight, upright stem,
it is probably a herbaceous peony.

You won't have trouble if you don't know,
but knowing it will deepen your relationship
with seasonal flowers just a little bit.

Why not incorporate such 'flower trivia'
into your daily life?

Please also take a look at my self-introduction ↓🌹

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