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Sorting through pictures of tree peony blooms from the Seattle Chinese Garden, more than once I gasped with delight.

For those of you looking to be dazzled in the here and now, a visit to the Luoyang Tree Peony Garden at the Seattle Chinese Garden during bloom season will light you up.

When planting a tree peony in the garden, provide well-drained soil, and situate the plant where it will receive a half-day of sun, preferably with some afternoon shade to prolong bloom life.

The so-called tree peony is a medium-size woody shrub that drops its leaves each fall but keeps its stems through the winter.

A relatively new type, called the Itoh, or intersectional peony, displays the best attributes of the tree peony — beautiful, natural flowers on an elegant plant — but blooms later and for much longer, and it’s quicker to reach blooming age.