Rescue...

Suddenly deciding there might be the need to hedge my bets here, I impulsively ran out in the rainy, pitch-black night with my secateurs & blindly groping around in the wet tree peony foliage (sans flashlight) cut one of these ~ which explains the short stem. Supposedly this tight bud will actually open. We'll see. These large flowers, with their silk-like texture, are extraordinarily lovely with a complex, sophisticated fragrance. It's so easy to see (or will be, if the bud actually opens) why the "Mutan" peony is such a popular motif in East Asian decoration. 

By the way, I'm quite aware the photo turned out blatantly phallic. Completely unintentional. No, really.

Unintentionally Homo-erotic Study, 2008