Tree Peonies, advice please

I'm lucky and have a huge garden... not when it comes to weeding tho! I am thinking of buying some Tree Peonies, maybe about 8. I know the very basics about them but have no special knowledge.

I have seen on the net that you can buy them bare rooted, are they a good idea other than saving the budget a little?

I am also thinking of growing some of them in really big whisky butts, as I could then give them good shelter from fairly strong winds we get up here, good or bad idea?

Are there particular ones which are easier than others? I have been gardening for long enough to realise that while I might like to grow some really challenging plants I'm better growing easier plants which thrive rather than trying to be "flashy"! Also I am a bit of a foliage nut, so ones which perhaps don't have the best flowers but have lovely leaves, altho both would be nice. Not that keen on "Katie Price" gaudy pink, prefering paler colours/white.

I'd also be very grateful for any recommendations as to where to buy good plants. I live in Scotland and know of 1 source not too far away, but if there was a really good supplier who did mail order then I would look at their site as an alternative.

Tree Peonies are not cheap to buy, so hoping someone on here can perhaps stop me making expensive errors.Thanks very much.

 

Try Binny Plants Silu here is link.http://www.binnyplants.com/

The foliageon tree peonys are stunning.

I have 1 bought for £5 a small cutting 4 yrs ago in the walled hospital garden at Stracathro hospital Angus Scotland.

Mind is now 3ft high 2ft wide slow growing but established now so hopefully mine will flower next yr.

I will post a photo here later.

The colours now are changing on the foliage.

 

"buy them bare rooted, are they a good idea other than saving the budget a little?"

Its not really about saving money, IMHO. I think bare rooted plants (in general) get away better, they haven't had their roots shoe-horned into a pot. But you can only plant bare-rooted in the Winter - e.g. Nov-Feb or maybe Mar. Definitely would be my choice, unless I happened to see one in flower in a pot in a garden centre in Summer and made an irrational purchase!!

If you want to plant any other time of the year then definitely need container-grown plants.

I always get my herbaceous Peonies from Kelways - dunno if their Tree Peonies are as good. www.kelways.co.uk/

I have grown one tree peony before, fairly sure it was lutea ludlowii, and it was all leaf and very disappointing (yellow) flowers - might be what you want for leaf. It was very vigorous.

 

Thanks both,Scotcat, Binny was where I knew about! Kirsten, totally agree, inherited Lutea Ludlowii in a previous garden, not of any great note. I'll have a look at Kelways and always good to know a reputable source of plants even if they don't sell Tree Peonies

 

Sorry, I wasn't clear: Kelways do sell Tree Peonies, just I have only ever bought Herbaceous Peonies from them - so I have no knowledge of their Tree Peonies