Amazing Tree Peonies At Rockefeller State Park Preserve
I love growing peonies and I especially love growing tree peonies. The plants in my collection are many years old and when I moved from Turkey Hill to my farm in Bedford, I also had every single tree peony relocated, as well. The tree peony season is a short one, lasting just seven to ten days. That period is made even shorter if rainfall spoils their glorious blooms. This year, gardeners are well aware that our earlier hot weather really advanced blooming times and tree peonies were in full bloom at the end of April. I had the good fortune to see an exquisite display at the Rockefeller State Park Preserve in Pleasantville, New York. If at all possible, I urge you to see this magnificent garden next spring.
1 Rockefeller State Park in Pleasantville, New York is home to a magnificent tree peony garden.
2 Many of these blooms are the size of a dinner plate!
3 There are approximately 500 peony plants in the garden.
4 And each plant was loaded with amazing blooms.
5 In Japan, the peony is looked upon as the humble king of flowers and it is a symbol of strength, courage, and future good fortune.
6 In 2002, the little Japanese town of Yatsuko-Cho in Shimane Prefecture donated these peonies to the Rockefeller State Park Preserve as a gesture of compassion and goodwill following the 9/11 terrorist attacks of 2001.
7 When Yatsuka-Cho offered the gift, gardeners began renovating the entrance to the Rockefeller State Park Preserve to accommodate them.
8 Yatsuka-Cho is well-known for its exquisite tree peonies.
9 Unlike the more common herbaceous peonies, which flop over if not staked, tree peonies bloom on graceful woody stems.
10 Also, herbaceous peonies die back to the ground each autumn and tree peonies do not.
11 Tree peonies grow to a height of three to four feet or more.
12 Another group of 500 peony plants was to be presented as a gift for the Brooklyn Botanic Garden.
13 These New York gardens were to receive 50 different varieties, all semi-doubles, in shades of pink, white, red, yellow, purple, and even black.
14 The Brooklyn Botanic Garden had already dug beds in anticipation of their arrival.
15 However, the first attempt at delivering the plants came to a rather tragic ending.
16 The plants had been shipped from Japan and arrived by boat in Long Beach, California in early October in the middle of a longshoreman's strike when no cargo was being unloaded.
17 The peonies were all bare-root plants, grafted cuttings packed in sawdust and a shipping delay would cause them to dry out.
18 Staff members at Rockefeller State Park and the Japanese gardeners who had come to oversee the installation waited anxiously.
19 The Japanese team of overseers for the project included a representative from Yatsuka-Cho, four gardeners, a translator, and an environmental scientist to ensure the proper placement of the plants.
20 By the time the container arrived in New York in early October, the crates were opened and the air became filled with the fetid odor of decay.
21 Not one plant could be used and the staff members at Rockefeller State Park and the Japanese crew were all heartbroken.
22 The Japanese team sadly returned home.
23 After surveying the loss, an insurance adjuster estimated damages of about $80,000 for the flowers alone.
24 However, the Japanese were hopeful that the flowers could be replaced.
25 The growers in Yatsuko-Cho rallied together and put together a second shipment, which was sent directly to New York by air.
26 The peonies arrived in early December of that same year and the gardeners scrambled to get them into the ground before it froze for the winter.
27 To show their appreciation of the generous gift of the Japanese, the Friends of the Rockefeller State Park Preserve raised $96,000 to build a handsome garden and stone courtyard for the peonies.
28 A letter from the Japanese is posted at the entrance to the park and reads: ''These flowers bring us happiness and comfort in times of trouble. We hope that these peonies, carefully raised by the producers in our town, can also be loved by and bring peace of mind to the people of the United States.''
29 What an extraordinary gift!
Martha Pins
Martha Tweets
Indeed...so wonderful to be gifted with beautiful peonies! I always anticipate peony season all the while hoping the weather cooperates...no downpours and no winds!
Posted by: Sherey | May 16th, 2012 at 2:52 am
Good morning Martha, these are breathtaking flowers. I adore peonies. Gorgeous photos.
Have a wonderful day.
PS these photos are going to my pinterest! Love
Posted by: Rowaida Flayhan | May 16th, 2012 at 5:21 am
Thank you for telling the amazing story of these tree peonies. I had never heard of this type of peony before; they are astonishingly beautiful. The friendship and compassion that they represent is lovely to know about in these days of so much bad news.
Posted by: Terry Covington | May 16th, 2012 at 6:40 am
You are such a gift yourself Martha bringing stories like this to your fans. How heartwarming that in a time of sorrow and distress in our country a tiny town in Japan would make such a lovely gesture of donating not once but twice these beautiful tree peonies! I'm going to do my research because I would love to grow tree peonies myself!
Posted by: Cindy F | May 16th, 2012 at 7:52 am
Hi Martha,
Thanks for a great story and beautiful peonies! What a wonderful way for us to start our day. I can’t believe how big some of those blooms are and the colors are extraordinary! It’s nice to read that you are filming your Cooking School shows on PBS already and eggs sounds like a good beginning. I mentioned on Twitter that my favorite were ‘Eggs Kevin’ that Pierre created. I make them all the time but I’m sure Pierre’s taste better! Enjoy your day. Trish
Posted by: Trish | May 16th, 2012 at 8:37 am
We love Cricket Hill Garden in Thomaston, CT for their tree peonies. Looks like we should Rockefeller State Park to that list, thanks for the info, Martha!
Posted by: Jennine | May 16th, 2012 at 8:52 am
I'm going to have to add these to my garden. Just beautiful!
Posted by: Andrea Dean | May 16th, 2012 at 9:52 am
Hi Martha, OMG! These photos of this year's peonies at Rockefeller State Park Preserve are absolutely stunning and the biggest I've seen, except for your beautiful peony garden at your Bedford farm! Sure wish I could be there to view it all, maybe some day! Thanks also for the fabulous website you shared today, also beautiful! I don't have any peonies anymore, but my rhodies, azaleas, and camilias, have been lovely this year with our warmer weather lately. Can't wait to see your gorgeous Bedford farm, again! Absolutely enjoyed listening to Alexis filling in for you on 'Ask Martha' on SiriusXM110 yesterday afternoon! She sounded a bit nervous to start out, but once the questions started coming in, she was terrific! Didn't get to call her because I had gone shopping, but was able to listen later in the afternoon. How great that sweet, little Jude is finally walking-fantastic! You sure do have a great family, Martha! Hope you have another great day and hope F,S,&GK are much better! Jan
Posted by: Jan Erickson | May 16th, 2012 at 10:25 am
I would love to know the name of the red and white peony in picture 8 of 29. And does anyone know if it can be purchased anywhere?
Posted by: Marlene | May 16th, 2012 at 10:53 am
Dear Martha: Your blog is ALWAYS part of my morning wherever I am, and today I am having tea admiring an overflowing tall vase of my own white peonies. Thanks for enriching my mornings.
Posted by: CJTaylor, Broad Creek, MD | May 16th, 2012 at 11:01 am
The pictures are amazing, one of my favorite flowers, the red & white looks like a painting. The only thing missing is the fragrance.
Posted by: Suzanne L | May 16th, 2012 at 1:45 pm
Martha,
Thanks for sharing this blog.
Posted by: KLBrown | May 16th, 2012 at 2:16 pm
Nice!! First blog!! Definitely year for firsts!!
Posted by: Vickie C. Hicks | May 16th, 2012 at 11:12 pm
Good morning, Martha. Thank you for sharing these photos and how these flowers were a gift from the gardeners in Japan. Peonies are one of the first flowers I loved as a child. In the early 1950's, I remember helping my Great-grandma Ella take vases of peonies to the cemetery. She called peonies the "memorial flower" and I always think of her when they bloom.
Posted by: SJ Breuer | May 17th, 2012 at 11:18 am
I was having problems viewing your blog for 3days. What a disappointment! Luckily, I was able to view it today!
Posted by: suemare | May 18th, 2012 at 6:46 am
The peonies are exquisite; the Japanese gesture even more so. ありがとう
Posted by: Karen | May 18th, 2012 at 8:51 am
Wow. Japan has had it's share of troubles recently. What a kind gesture. It's so nice that everyone can view these beautiful flowers. I feel better already!
Posted by: Judi | May 19th, 2012 at 1:22 pm
WOW! I'm just recovering from the glorious Japanese Cherry trees here in DC, and I'm amazed to see these photos of Japanese tree peonies. I'm sharing these with my readers (both of them)...Many thanks, Martha!!
Posted by: M.E. | May 19th, 2012 at 11:10 pm
g'day & i must say im a big lover of everything Martha!! i cant view any pics on blog, nor on darcy's idea of the day!
i saw a great centerpiece (single peony in shallow rice bowl, atop hosta leaves. its perfect for my reception which is only a month & 1/2 away!! please fix it so i can show my m-in-law!! m
Posted by: Maliea Chiem | May 20th, 2012 at 5:14 am
Where can I find these species
Posted by: JUNE | June 8th, 2012 at 8:30 pm
My daughter bought me penies for my birthday. I wish I had penies as lovely as these. Thanks for the pleasure these pictures bring to the heart.
Posted by: may delory | June 12th, 2012 at 6:43 pm
Unlike herbaceous peonies, tree peonies (p suffruticosa and
Hybrids , zones 4 to 8)have woody stems that don't die back in the
Fall . they're slow-growing , eventually forming an open shrub reaching 3
to 5 feet tall with an equal or greater width ,They bloom in
spring , usuallyt a week or two before herbaceous peonies,and put on a
sepectaculaer show ,flowers are huge ,often 6or more inches wide ,with
ruffled petals in gorgeous shades of pink ,red purple , yellow , coral and
white . high-quality tree peonies are a bit pricey(roughly 70USD to 150USD)
because much effort is required to produce them , including
specialized grafting and several years of nursery growing.
More info check http://www.youqll.com to get more beautiful rockii peonies.
Posted by: jay | July 13th, 2012 at 2:27 am
WOW! You have so many Tree Peonies planted. I love peonies and tree peonies are a new discovery for me. At my Peony Farm in Washington State, my favorites are Anna Marie Tree Peony, Hephestos Tree Peony and High Noon Tree Peony, My own garden space is not big enough to plant such a wide variety of Tree Peonies. I am looking forward to the day I can visit your garden.
Posted by: Peony lady | November 8th, 2012 at 8:18 am