Paeonia rockii, 'Red Thread Woman' Chinese rockii tree peony

Name in Chinese and pin yin: 紅仙女 Hong Xian Nu

Notable characteristics: Full, creamy white blossoms with subtle, dark pink streaks on the interior petals. Golden grains of pollen and dark magenta flares are just visible around the center of the blossoms. Vigorous grower, our oldest specimen of this cultivar is about 18 years old and is now among the tallest and widest of any of the tree peonies planted here at Cricket Hill Garden.

Hybridizer: Chen Dezhong of the Peace Peony Garden in Lanzhou, Gansu province, China between 1986 and 1992.

Growth habit and size at maturity (10 years old): Upright and spreading, flowers held well above the foliage. Grows to 7' tall and 8' wide.

Flower form and size: Double, 6-8". Will bloom in the lotus form when young.

Flower fragrance: Sweet. Very seductive.

Bloom time: Mid-season rockii, blooms in our USDA zone 6a garden in the last week of May and first week of June.

Zone hardiness: Proven in USDA zones 4-9. P. rockii cultivars are particularly drought resistant once established. We have had reports from gardeners in Texas that this variety has grown and bloomed well during the last two years of extreme drought and heat.

Plant size: 1 year old tree peonies have 1 woody stem and a proportional root system. This size plant will most likely flower its second spring in the ground.

2 yr old plants are larger, with 1-2 woody stems and a dense root system. Likely to have a few blooms the first spring after planting. 

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