Mother of Gardens

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ROCK'S PEONY
Paeonia rockii
While this particular species of tree peony was named for the Austrian-American botanist Joseph Rock, who found it in the mountains of western China in the mid-20th century, Chinese gardeners have cultivated peonies since at least the seventh century A.D. Many of the most beloved, double-flowered tree and herbaceous peonies of today originated long ago in Chinese nurseries. The genus Paeonia is not exclusive to China (some peony species are native to western North America and southern Europe), but China's native species and horticultural traditions have vastly enriched Western gardens.

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