Caozhou Hundred Flowers Garden

　　Caozhou Hundred Flowers Garden is located in Hongmiao Village, Peony Office, Heze City. It has a history of over 400 years. It was built during the Xi Zong period of the Ming Dynasty by He Yingduan, an official in the Ministry of Works, and was given to his nephew Yang Pin to manage. It was then called “He Shangshu Garden.” Later, the Yang family declined and sold the garden to the Hao family of Hongmiao Village, hence it was also known as “Hao Family Garden.”

　　In 1958, it was officially established as a garden and named “Hongmiao Garden.” In 1982, the government allocated funds for its reconstruction and named it “Hundred Flowers Garden.” In 1990, the government provided further funding, and the Nanjing Landscape Architecture Design Institute planned an expansion. It was then renamed “Caozhou Hundred Flowers Garden.”

　　Originally called “Wanhua Village,” Caozhou Hundred Flowers Garden was first built during the Jiajing era of the Ming Dynasty. Having gone through many vicissitudes, it has many legendary stories. In 1982, after the inspection by the General Secretary, the government allocated special funds for its reconstruction. It now covers an area of over 100 acres, with 200,000 ornamental peony plants and 100,000 ornamental paeonia lactiflora plants.

　　It has a breeding base for peony and paeonia lactiflora seedlings covering more than 2,300 acres, providing over two million high-quality seedlings annually to domestic and international markets. Currently, there are 32 senior and mid-level technical personnel and 450 production and management staff. It is a key scenic area for peony viewing in Caozhou and a major base for producing and exporting commercial peonies and paeonia lactiflora.

　　The garden is renowned as the “Garden of Precious Peonies” for its wide variety of rare and precious peony cultivars. It features nine major color series—yellow, red, blue, white, black, green, purple, pink, and multicolor—with over 520 varieties. Self-bred varieties such as “Race Snow Tower,” “Spring Red Delight,” “Green Dragon Guards Treasure,” “Like Scarlet,” “Ink Pool Shines,” and “Green Curtain Hides Jade”; as well as treasured traditional varieties like “Yao Yellow,” “Blue Gem,” “Pear Blossom Snow,” and “Palm Flower Pattern” have won 27 national science and technology achievement awards including “Excellence Award,” “New Variety Award,” and “Quality Award.”

　　The self-bred “Gathering of Eight Immortals,” a single plant with multiple colors, is truly unique. Dozens of introduced Japanese peony varieties also display distinctive colors and fragrances, each shining brilliantly. The garden also houses a Ming Dynasty-era white peony still alive today, standing over ten feet tall with a three-meter-wide crown, lush branches and leaves, and blooming over 400 flowers. Visitors call it the “Peony King.”

　　The garden enjoys a unique geographical advantage where peonies bloom early and fade late. After the peonies finish blooming, the paeonia lactiflora begin to flower. The garden houses over 300 fine varieties of ornamental paeonia lactiflora from both China and abroad, covering all eight colors. Varieties such as “Yang Guifei Bathing,” “Xuefeng,” “Red Glow Through Frost,” “Purple Phoenix Facing the Sun,” “Black Dragon Exploring the Sea,” “Xi Shi Pink,” “Orchid Supreme,” “Five-Colored Dragon Jade,” “Golden Silk,” and “Golden Wheel” compete with peonies in color, fragrance, and form, all being treasures among flowers. The garden’s paeonia lactiflora seedlings and fresh-cut flowers are highly favored across China and in European and American countries.