Shop Products
Houzz Logo Print
nrian

question for Leon, please

rian
16 years ago

Leon, you mentioned in the germination thread that you have crossed P.Osti with lutea hybrids. Have any of your crosses bloomed? What do they look like? You are obviously far more experienced with peonies than most of us here.

I'm interested in Phoenix White which I understand is the most available osti. Since I've never actually seen one, if you could share what you know from growing P.Osti as compared to other tree peonies, I'd be really grateful.

Comments (10)

  • peonyman
    16 years ago

    Rian

    I have plants from 2 or 3 years of seeds but none have bloomed yet. My goal is to have a yellow blooming tree peony that holds its flowers the way that P. osti does. I have quite a few seedlings and hopefully something good will come of them.

    P. osti, Feng Dan Bai, and Phoenix White are all considered to be one in the same plant. These are not propagated by grafting but rather they are seed grown and there is variation between plants because each is an individual and not a clone. I have been told by a top Chinese peony grower that the true P. Osti has leaflets that have a single point and will show no palmation at all. The plant is very easily crossed and natural crosses occur.

    This plant is grown in China by the hundreds of acres if not by the thousands. They are grown and then the roots are harvested for use in medicine. If you dig a plant you will quickly see why they are thought to be of medicinal value. The smell of the root has a very strong pharmaceutical odor. I am told the only medicinal quality the roots have is the smell only and otherwise there is no value as a medicine. Because the plant has been in cultivation for centuries there are probably no P. osti plants found in the wild.

    I have 2 plants and one of them has leaves that compare more closely to the description of the true Osti than the other. Otherwise the two plants are near identical in every way, size, form and placement of flowers. My plants are about 40 inches tall, vase shaped and set blooms across the top of the canopy. The flowers are well spaced and held upright (see the photo below). Both plants set seed like crazy, in fact, of about 100 tree peonies in my yard, these two plants are by far the most prolific. Also, my P. osti plants seem to be more cold hardy and resist late frost better than the P. suffructicosa cultivars. My plants did not come directly from China but rather from a grower in Oregon. I assume he grew the plants from seed.

    The photo below is my plant that has the leaves that show more palmation than the other, you cant really see this from the photo.


    Paeonia osti

  • rian
    Original Author
    16 years ago

    Just trying to imagine all those blooming acres--Wow! Thanks Leon, what a wonderful flower. I like the idea of waves of bloom from plants that are similar but not identical. I need more land!

    I know the perception of fragrance is an individual thing but how does the scent of this flower strike you as compared to P. Rockii. Would the fragrance vary from plant to plant within the species, I wonder.

    I don't mean to make this a private conversation. If anyone else grows or is interested in P.Osti, please chime in.

  • maifleur01
    16 years ago

    I also have the P. Osti and the fragrance does vary from plant to plant but also varies depending on the time of day and amount of opening. It is one of the longest blooming of my tp's normally lasting about a week+ vs 3-5 days. Leon and I have the plants from the same grower so they should be geneticly similar. I did find what is supposed to be a dwarf version of the plant but it died to the ground last summer and may not come back.

  • peonyman
    16 years ago

    Rian,
    I am glad that Maifluer was able to shed some light here. For some reason I perceive very little scent from tree peonies. I guess it is that reason that I don't pay much attention to scent when tree peonies are blooming. They just dont seem to give the strong scent that some of the Lactifloras have but then so many of the hybrid herbaceous peonies seem to also lack the floral scent that I enjoy so much.

    I know there are suppose to be 5 general scents that peonies can have. For the life of me I can't seem to name all five at the same time. The ones that come to mind right now are floral, spice and carion(this is the three week old road kill smell that the coral peonies have). Can anyone else think of the other two scents? Are there more?

    Leon

  • rian
    Original Author
    16 years ago

    The only tree peony that I have old enough to bloom is the one P. Rockii. The neighbors' tree peonies have no fragrance. I remember that the blossoms of mine smell wonderful but I find I can't really describe the scent. I might be mixing it up in my memory with magnolia. Are they similar, I wonder. This spring I'll take notes!

    Maifleur, where did you and Leon, buy your Ostiis I've been checking around and found some nurseries that sell them, but they seem to ship only in the fall. I know, I know, fall is the best time to plant tree peonies. And patience is a virtue. Maybe I'll check ebay for seeds. I've had really good luck with my Rockii seeds.

  • peonyman
    16 years ago

    Rian,

    We got our Osti plants from our local peony society fall sale. The plants were large blooming size plants and as I recall they were in the $15 range at one sale but I think they were either $15 or $20 at the last sale. Some of the osti plants this last fall were smaller so we packaged those with two in a package for the same price.

    If you have been able to get seedlings from P. rocki I am sure you would have no problem at all handling the seeds of P. osti. You need to get the seed in the fall when they are fresh.

    If you decide to get a plant you should be patient and wait until fall unless you can find a potted plant. I don't think a spring or summer planted bare root tree peony stands much of a chance.

    Leon

  • maifleur01
    16 years ago

    Ask your local garden center to order for you. Most come from the nursery Leon and I received ours from. There are/were only two sources in this country. If you want several it would be better for your nursery as most wholesale nurserys have a 25 or more limit on what they sell.

  • peonyman
    16 years ago

    Rian,

    Were you able to find a plant of P. osti to purchase? Where from?

    Leon

  • rian
    Original Author
    16 years ago

    How did I miss this last post--my apologies, Leon.
    You're right, I couldn't wait. The only mail order nurseries offering this time of year are the ones with low prices and terrible reviews. I think what I will be getting is a bare root from China.

    I have ordered from this particular nursery before in pre computer days and I have been satisfied with the plants I received. I chose them for that reason and because their description was more honest and informative than any of the others I looked at. If they do well by me, I will order more from them and give them props in this forum.

  • peonyman
    16 years ago

    Rian,

    I did assume that you had one on order. I thought I saw your post in another forum. I hope you receive a good polant and have good luck with it.

    Leon

Sponsored
SK Interiors
Average rating: 5 out of 5 stars49 Reviews
Loudoun County's Top Kitchen & Bath Designer I Best of Houzz 2014-2022