‘Boreas’ (god of the north wind) is a tree peony with deep burgundy semi-double flowers. The ruffled petals, are each turned in a different direction, as if blown by the wind. Tree peonies often need to settle in one to two years before producing blooms and, once established, will grow to mature size in five to eight years; ‘Boreas’ will reach 5 feet tall. Plant in sun to part shade with the eyes no more than 2 inches below the soil surface and protect from strong winds and afternoon sun. It is deer resistant.

Peonies are popular garden plants, known for their stunning flowers, their cold hardiness and the huge variety of their colors, forms, and habits. They are divided into two main groups: herbaceous, which die to the ground in the fall; and tree peonies, which are deciduous plants with woody stems that they retain throughout the winter. A third category—the Itoh or intersectional peonies—display the extravagant blooms of tree peonies on herbaceous stems. All peonies bloom between April and June. Flowers on tree peonies appear one to two weeks before those on herbaceous peonies.