Paeonia lactiflora Miss Eckhardt

Paeonia lactiflora 'Miss Eckhardt' is an old variety of Chinese peony still appreciated for the abundance, beauty, and fragrance of its beautiful double flowers in a soft blush pink with pearly tints. It blooms rather late, on medium vegetation with airy foliage.  Easy to grow, herbaceous peonies thrive in moist soil and prefer full sun. Robust and faithful, they sometimes take a little time to establish themselves, but they grow year after year and can live for more than 50 years.

Chinese herbaceous peonies are mainly derived from Paeonia lactiflora, a perennial herbaceous plant native to central and eastern Asia (from eastern Tibet, northern China, to eastern Siberia), where it naturally grows in woods and meadows. This plant belongs to the Ranunculaceae or Paeoniaceae family.

The Miss Eckhardt variety is a horticultural creation by Van Der Meer dating back to 1928. The plant forms a bushy herbaceous clump reaching 80 cm (32in) in all directions starting from spring. Its large flowers measuring 14-16 cm (6in) in diameter appear in late May or early June, depending on the climate, and last for about two weeks. In this variety, each stem carries a double terminal flower of medium density and several flowers emerging from secondary buds. The large pink buds open into a wide corolla with slightly fringed outer petals. These petals of a bright blush pink reveal a few stamens and light carmine traces as they unfold. At the heart of the flower, a large pink pistil is surrounded by a bouquet of yellow stamens. The growth of this variety is moderately vigorous, and its foliage is quite sparse. The young purple and shiny foliage unfolds into large dark green leaves with deeply cut edges. They are borne on a petiole that divides into 3, with lanceolate or ovate-lanceolate segments. The leaflets are entire or sometimes lobed. They disappear in winter, while the buds that will develop in spring persist at ground level. This very perennial plant grows from a large fleshy root that does not appreciate being moved. Note that this variety holds up well in bouquets. 

Peonies are among those plants that form the foundation of a garden. In the past every garden, from the humblest to the most elaborate, proudly displayed clumps of peonies that made their way into the house, keeping lilacs and bluebells company in bouquets. Charming and with a good fragrance, the Chinese peony Miss Eckhardt can be planted in a border or alongside a path, associated with timeless perennials such as columbines, bellflowers, perennial roses, carnations, lady's mantles, or perennial delphiniums. It can also be grown in the vegetable garden to supply cut flowers for the house. Growing it in a pot is not recommended, as its needs will not be met. Over time, the peony becomes majestic and blooms more and more abundantly, producing up to 60 flowers. It can stay in the same spot for 50 long years. 

Good quality, with 3/5 eyes, sold individually in a pot.