Plants of the Week: May 19

Paeonia ‘Ten’i’

This time of year, the magnificent Tree Peony Collection is in full swing as each cultivar exhibits its wonderful enormous flowers; all are gorgeous in their own unique ways.  ‘Ten’i’ puts out heavily hanging inflorescences that resemble well-arranged, massive, piles of pink-blushed tissues. In the center is a tight group of maroon pistils encompassed by gold stamens, creating a pleasing color accent. Its enormity and crisp color against the dark green foliage immediately catches the eyes of passers-by. photo credit: J. Bickel

Cornus Stellar Pink®

Tucked neatly between Dana and Wharton Residence Halls, is a small copse of dogwoods. The bracts of the inflorescences are a light creamy-green color with dashes of smoky-pink. As the whites of species dogwoods might pop in this shady area, the colors in this cultivar allow the flowers to blend a little better with the woods in the background, adding a nice subtlety. According to the Missouri Botanical Garden, this cultivar was developed by Elwin R. Orton of Rutgers University. It is a hybrid of Cornus florida and Cornus kousa. photo credit: J. Bickel

Paeonia ‘Gauguin’

This little gem is tucked along the edge of the sloped courtyard between Clothier Memorial Hall and Sproul Observatory. This is a truly radiant cultivar with an intense and commanding color combination. The petals appear as though they were once white and have become saturated with a dark pink that fills the veins and blushes at the edges. Toward the middle the petals quickly fade to a deep reddish-black that causes the gold stamens to pop with intensity. The carpels are a grayish-yellow while the pistils are bright red fringed with white.  Definitely a must see in the Tree Peony Collection! photo credit: J. Bickel