Another of the mascula-like group - Paeonia caucasica

No points for guessing that Paeonia caucasica is native to the Caucasus mountains region, where it grows in forests, along forest margins, and in scrub. My plants are all grown from seed collected wild in the southeast of the Republic of Georgia.

The flowers have a crinkly crepe texture and are a good colour; first bloom was on 27 May this year. This species does well in my shade bed, but is more vigorous in part shade. Plants in the open field are smaller (no irrigation) and although about as vigorous as either amount of shade the flowers are quick to wilt in the full sun. The photos here were all taken in the partial shade bed.

Foliage is attractive with a bit of a bluish caste to it, moreso before flowering than after. This is another good garden and landscape subject, and even a few flowers brighten a patch of woodland.

Botanists agree to disagree as to whether it is a species in its own right, or is included in P daurica subsp daurica. This creates the following confusion: the latter synonym is shared with P ruprechtiana which we saw earlier, and also with P triternata which has yet to be featured. All are horticulturally distinct in my view and it would be a shame to grow only one of the 3, regardless of their botanical similarity.