When my siblings and I were young, we used to ask my mother: “Which one of us do you love the best?”

Her response was always disappointingly the same. “See my fingers?” she would say as she held up her hand, “Do I love one more than the other? No! I love them all the same!”

Well, of the many flowers I grow and love, this “Shimadaijin” tree peony would be my thumb, or maybe my pointer finger!

Although tree peonies tend to resent being moved, I couldn’t bear to leave this one behind when we moved from our first home in Charlottesville. I dug it up and transplanted it to our new garden, where it reigns supreme as the undisputed Empress of All the Land. I’ve ruthlessly hacked to pieces and uprooted a number of perfectly lovely plants that have had the temerity to encroach upon her territory.

The tree peony is:

• a drop-dead gorgeous diva – a gardener might sell her soul for this plant
• imperious – deer don’t dare take a nibble
• unabashedly flamboyant – those silky, over-the-top, fragrant blossoms can be up to 10″ across
• surprisingly low-maintenance – despite its glamorous appearance, this woody shrub doesn’t need pampering. Unlike the herbaceous peony, tree peony stems do not die back in the winter and should not be cut back.
• long-lived – a tree peony can live for decades

The beauty of tree peonies has inspired names as extravagant as the blossoms themselves. Here are a few of the more evocative ones:

Black Dragon Holds a Splendid Flower

Brocaded Gown

Coiled Dragon in the Mist

Companion of Serenity

Cup of Shining Night

Flying Swallow in a Red Dress

Gold Sand in a Black Ocean

Green Dragon Lying on a Chinese Inkstone

Palace of the Purple Clouds

Princess Zhao Marries Beyond the Great Wall

Tipsy Imperial Concubine