Paeonia x lactiflora Pink Vanguard - Chinese Peony

The 'Pink Vangard' Peony is a vigorous and reliable variety that produces semi-double to double flowers with a thick substance, a pale pink that fades, adorned with a beautiful cluster of yellow stamens. This excellent selection blooms early in the season and longer than other varieties. It develops abundant foliage of a deep bluish-green colour, very healthy, which remains decorative until autumn. It is an excellent plant for borders and its flowers are superb in bouquets.

Herbaceous and hybrid peonies mainly come from Paeonia lactiflora, a perennial 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 now belongs to the peony family. Its deciduous foliage emerges in spring and disappears in autumn. It grows from a large, fleshy root that does not like to be moved.

The Paeonia lactiflora 'Pink Vangard' is a cultivar selected in the United States (Wisconsin) in 2005 by Seidl and registered by Hollingsworth. The plant, with fairly slow growth, forms over the years a beautiful bushy clump reaching 80 to 90 cm in all directions. Its large flowers, 13-15 cm in diameter, appear from the first half of May, depending on the climate. The strong stems have lateral buds, which prolongs the flowering period. The large round flower buds open into semi-double, sometimes double, corollas, depending on the position of the flower on the stem: the terminal flowers are generally double, while those that open from lateral buds are semi-double. The colour of the petals is a milky pink, slightly deeper at the base, quickly becoming shell pink. It often happens that the small petals in the centre of the corolla are slightly washed with red. The scent of this variety is very subtle. The foliage unfolds into large leaves divided into segments of a dark bluish-green colour. The leafy stems disappear in winter, while the buds persist at ground level and will develop in spring. This very perennial plant grows from a large, fleshy root that does not like to be moved.

The 'Pink Vangard' Peony is an extraordinary variety, suitable for all uses. It can be planted in borders or along pathways, mixed with simple perennials such as columbines, bellflowers, delphiniums, or hardy geraniums. It can also be added to the flower reserve for bouquets in the vegetable garden. Pot cultivation is not recommended as its needs will not be met. Over time, the peony becomes majestic and blooms more abundantly, producing up to 60 flowers. A bouquet composed of peonies, bellflowers, lilacs, and old roses like 'Centifolia Muscosa' will perfume the house.