This mature tree peony is about 4 feet in height and receives dappled sunlight.

Treat yourself like royalty and plant a tree peony in your garden.

The tree peony (Paeonia suffruticosa) is a beautiful flowering woody shrub that thrives in USDA hardiness Zones 4 to 8.

As a prized specimen, purchasing a tree peony requires diligent searching in local and online nurseries. Late spring is an opportune time to find tree peonies locally.

Originally from China, the tree peony was used for a variety of medicinal purposes and is China's national flower.

The tree peony produces stunning, large flowers in an array of magnificent colors, some of which are fragrant.

The tree peony is grafted onto a rootstock, but over time, develops its own root system. As compared to the herbaceous peony, tree peonies retain above ground woody stems year-round. Flower buds for the following year's bloom are found on these stems.

The tree peony grows best in well-drained, fertile soil and prefers full sun to partial shade. When grown in intense sunlight, the flowers are shorter-lived.

The tree peony prefers ample space and dislikes being transplanted. Expect a tree peony to grow slowly, and site it in a location where it receives maximum attention and garden impact.

Tree peonies are purchased bare root or in a container.

Before planting, remove any shoots below the graft. Dig a hole 15 to 18 inches deep and 12 inches wide.

Amend the soil with compost or other organic matter and add a couple of handfuls of lime, as peonies prefer a pH near neutral (7) to slightly above.

Be sure to set the graft collar 4 to 6 inches below the soil surface. Finish the planting with mulch and fertilize in August with bone meal or a bulb fertilizer.Water consistently for the first two years, being careful not to overwater. Water the tree peony when the soil is dry to about 4 inches in depth.Unlike herbaceous peonies, do not cut back the stems to the ground in late fall; woody stems remain on the plant and only dead or broken branches should be pruned.Specimens with healthy, mature stems typically do not require staking for support. Tree peonies should never be divided.Tree peonies are deer resistant and are relatively disease free, however, occasionally the foliage may show symptoms of a fungal disease.A typical tree peony grows to a height of 4 to 5 feet, the size of a small to medium shrub.Tree peonies bloom around early May, after the woodland peonies and before herbaceous and intersectional (Itoh) peonies.While a few years' time is required for the flowers to reach their potential 10-inch diameter size, it is worth the wait.Polly Burkhard is a Penn State Extension Master Gardener, Class of 2019.

A stunning example of a tree peony flower at the peak of its bloom cycle. Submitted photo