She is spectacular!!

Wow, love it!

How did you figure out the name? There is one at our local nursery called 'No. 7' and I might be tempted to buy it, but I'd need to know more about what it really is.

If you can find it there is an out of print book that lists the traditional Chinese tree peonies by number with their names. I seem to remember that it was printed by the Chinese Forestry Department with the collaboration of several including Will McLewin called "Peony Rockii and Gansu Mudan". I gave my copy away.

Loaded and Beautiful! Love the color!

Thanks everyone, for only a few years in the ground this one has been an exceptional grower and bloomer compared to our other two (Renkaku and Shimadaijin). The Renkaku has a few blooms about to pop that I’ll post soon. karin, I thought I did a google search under “tree peony No. 49” and came up with a name and what I thought was a match to ‘Shima Nishiki’. But on second look the Shima Nishiki has striped pink and purple flowers so it may in fact be the ‘Houki’ as carol suggests. Oh well, so much for my research. I agree it’s rather annoying for the tags to only include a number v. the traditional Chinese name. I did find the reference book maifleur mentioned on a British website for “only” 50 pounds, but at that price I’ll pass and just enjoy the blooms on what I’ll now call my ‘Houki’.

The 50 pounds is about what I paid for it when I purchased several years ago from the Chinese site.

However, Houki/Hoki/Hooki is more of a true red than the picture suggests. Bad thing about reds and photographs is that few show what the eye actually sees.

Thanks, maifleur. I too thought mine had more pink than the truer red of the Houki. Like you said, it’s so hard to discern subtle color differences from pictures posted on the internet. I’d love to know its true identity but can live with ‘No. 49’ or “maybe a Houki but probably not.”

Not the case every time but typically Japanese cultivars of garden plants with "nishiki" (brocade) as part of the name have broken or variegated color patterns.

That is gorgeous. Never met one I didn’t covet!

I would ask the greenhouse manager for the source . It came from somewhere and they should know. Perhaps they could contact the vendor and ask about any valid cultivar names or where to find them.

Here is a picture of Kamada Nishiki from Khlem's Song Sparrow. Those numbers probably mean something different to each growing farm. Regardless, it is a beautiful tree peony. Shima Nishiki takes several years to mature. During that time flowers on the same plant may be red, white, or red/white mix. The red in full sunlight may show purple undertones. Houki is supposed to be a pure red. Hope this helps.

Here is my Shima Nishiki. First year blooming.

The red has very distinct white streaks and marks.

It's NOT Houki. Houki is no. 13. I have found the numbered tree peonies for sale but they didn't have the key to telling which was which until I found 3 with the Japanese names! No. 02 is Yakumo/Yagumo. No 13 is Houki. No. 27 is Hanakisoi

It's NOT Houki. Houki is no. 13. I have found the numbered tree peonies for sale but they didn't have the key to telling which was which until I found 3 with the Japanese names! No. 02 is Yakumo/Yagumo. No 13 is Houki. No. 27 is Hanakisoi

Yours is probably Taiyo Japanese TP. Shima Nishiki is a sport of Taiyo. Sometimes Shima can bloom some flowers that have no stripes resembling Taiyo. However, Taiyo only blooms solid red flowers unless it sports something new.

Have seen tags No.27 labeled Hana Kisoi

No.13 Houki

Stapled White paper tag missing plastic tag with number, labeled Sahohime

Stapled White paper tag missing plastic tag with number, labeled Yachiyo Tsubaki

No.02 paper tag of Yagumo

No.02 paper tag of Shikoh

No.16 paper tag of Meikoho

Friend reports No.16 with paper tag of Shin Fusotsukasa (or Monitor of the Palace at Sunrise).

whatever its genetic name its real name is breathtaking.

Any idea what the name of No. 30 is?

I just bought no. 30 and it's English said "lavender". Some others have said it could be chojuraku or shimata nishiki. Hoping it blooms next year.

I am looking to determine the variety of No. 10. The hang tag shows it’s a red variety; however, the small white paper tag typically wrapped around the base of the peony was missing when I purchased it last summer. I’ve been trying to determine the variety ever since. Does anyone know? Thanks!

Well, four years have passed but I made it back for an update. I am returning to the yard and garden this year after the four-year absence due to COVID and life.

Anyway, here are some photos of our beautiful, nicely maturing tree peonies this year. First is the one I started this post to identify, I settled on it being "Houki" as gardengal suggested:

Next up is the white "Renkaku" that gets more magnificent every year. I need to download a full-bush picture and will try to soon, this year she had around 12 blooms like this:

We also have a "Shimadaijin" that finally has two buds that haven't quite fully opened, I will post a picture when they do. I'm also ashamed to admit that it will be my first time seeing this tree peony bloom because the two buds formed during my gardening hiatus.

Anyway, tree peonies seem to love my mid-Michigan clay under a maybe 25-foot white pine tree canopy. I hope everyone enjoys them as much as we do. Only drawback, the blooms last just one week and start here in mid-Michigan between May 1 and now. But even after they bloom, I think the foilage is very nice.

Chris

Here are the pictures I promised of:

1) The full view of "Renkaku," she gets more magnificent every year.

2)The half-opened blooms (as of yesterday) of "Shimadaijin."

The red TP in my initial post (name still not 100% certain) started blooming about two weeks ago and is pretty much done now. But this purple "Shimadajin" is in pretty deep shade with no direct sunlight, apparently setting its blooms back about two weeks compared to the red that gets probably 8 hours of direct sun a day. For that matter, there are a few nice blooms left on the red--those hidden under leaves and on the shade side of the plant. Pretty amazing that sun/shade affects bloom time by about two weeks like that.

Chris

The photo you posted five years ago and again recently is Shimanishiki. I planted mine over 35years ago and still have the original label identified as No.49. My beautiful

Shimanishki is flowering now. also. my further research shows that often the bloom can show no white.