As part of the ongoing renovation project to the Walled Garden rope border, a range of woody peonies; Paeonia Gansu Group has been introduced, not only to provide height and structure but to give colour and form. There are more than ten different cultivars with colour flowers ranging from white through to pink to red-black, and with single to full-double flowers in Spring. The most striking and distinctive character of Gansu Mudan is the dark blotches at the base of the petals, contrasting and enhancing the basic petal colour or sometimes blending with it. Most impressive is the size of their flowers which are sweetly scented. The new young leaves just developing are brightly coloured and very attractive, the hairs on the leaves catch and retain water droplets after rain and the glittering effect this produces is as eye-catching as the flower display itself. For many years Gansu Mudan were extremely rare and much sought after but now they are becoming more easily available and widely grown as their virtues become better known and appreciated. They are very hardy and vigorous, are trouble free and long-lived in any reasonable situation, undemanding in their requirements and, once mature, become magnificent and spectacular flowering shrubs. Although the individual peony blooms may be relatively short-lived, very few flowers have the same power to stay in the mind, either as memory or as anticipation. - Kevin Ball, Head Gardener
Posted on: Thu, 08 May 2014 08:34:54 +0000
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