Tree Peony Collection

Overview
History
Curator
Plants

Three hundred tree peonies (Paeonia suffruticosa) grace the periphery of BBG's Japanese Hill-and-Pond Garden and the north end of Cherry Walk. The plants were presented to BBG in 2002 by the Japanese town of Yatsuka-Cho in Shimane Prefecture “to bring peace of mind to people in the United States” after the events of September 11, 2001. Blooming in late April to early May, the tree peonies are marvels of color, scent, and size.

The spectacular tree peony specimens currently on display are not the first plants sent from Yatsuka-Cho, Japan. An original shipment of 1,050 tree peonies traveled by ship from Japan in the fall of 2002, bound for both BBG and the Rockefeller State Park Preserve in Sleepy Hollow, New York. The shipment made it to the U.S., but a strike by the longshoremen's union caused the closing of many ports, and the tree peonies sat for weeks in hot, dry containers on a dock in Long Beach, California. Unable to withstand such conditions, the plants died.

Yatsuka-Cho, renowned for its cultivation of rare tree peonies, generously sent a new shipment. Despite arriving in December and being planted during a blizzard in half-frozen soil, these tough plants managed to survive and now thrive in the Garden.

Brian Funk

Curator Brian Funk artfully maintains the balance between the man-made and natural elements found in the Japanese Hill-and-Pond Garden. In 1999, Brian joined BBG as the garden was undergoing a major restoration. When he became curator in 2000, Brian was given the opportunity to choose new plant selections, including a variety of bamboos, herbaceous perennials, and shrubs, such as Pieris japonica and Nandina domestica, for placement throughout the Japanese Hill-and-Pond Garden and for use as groundcover, shoreline plantings, and privacy around the perimeter. The new plantings were initiated in 2000, and the restoration was recognized with the New York Landmark Conservancy's 2001 Preservation Award.

Six colors of peonies are highlighted in the Tree Peony Collection: red, pink, white, purple, yellow, and maroon. Some of the most prized plants in the collection include the following: