Flowerage in white, cream, pink, coral and red

Peonies in the Botanical Garden

Peonies of many colours and scents can be discovered in the Botanical Garden of Technische Universität Braunschweig. The shrub and tree peonies, known as peonies, are now in full bloom. The different peonies on display have different flowering times and are often double flowers.

Paeonies (Pfingstrosen) are very popular. Despite their name, they do not belong to the rose family, but to the peony family (Paeoniaceae).

They are generally divided into two groups: herbaceous perennial peonies and shrub peonies. In herbaceous perennial peonies, the above-ground parts of the plant disappear completely into the ground in winter, while shrub peonies only lose their leaves.

Shrub peonies all originate from the Asian continent, where some grow at higher altitudes, so hardiness is not a problem.

The Botanic Garden’s collection includes Japanese shrub peonies (Paeonia suffruticosa), Chinese shrub peonies (Paeonia rockii) and other Asian shrub peonies (Paeonia lutea).

Their flowering time varies greatly. Japanese shrub peonies are currently in full bloom for a fortnight, with huge tissue paper-like flowers that can reach 20 to 25 cm in diameter.

Chinese Shrub Peonies flower a little longer and later in May. Their flowers usually have a striking pattern and a wonderful fragrance. Paeonia lutea, which blooms from mid-May to mid-June, has a range of colours from yellow to coral to black and red.

Perfect bee pastures

The wild herbaceous perennial peonies mentioned above, with their unfilled flowers, can also be seen in the Braunschweig Botanical Garden and some of them are already showing their marvellous flowers in white, cream, pink, coral or red.

The golden stamens of all these species are perfect for bees, providing a wealth of nectar and pollen in May.

The Botanical Garden of Technische Universität Braunschweig is open from Tuesday – Sunday from 8:00 – 18:00, Monday is closed.