CS, I don't have a lot of tree peonies, yet! The only ones I have that have bloomed so far are Phoenix White, Alice Harding and one that was supposed to be pale pink that bloomed white, can't remember the name. There are several members of this forum have lots of trees and the pics they post every spring are gorgeous. Take a look at the Blooms 2015 and the one about Northern Peony Blooms from around the same time, both started around April/May 2015, you'll see some beautiful flowers. And I would feel perfectly safe in betting all of my blooms next spring that they were even more amazing to see in person!
From my experience tree peonies can take more shade than most herbaceous so if you have an area that is in part shade or dappled shade they can handle that well, might actually prefer it in the warmer zones. Maybe a spot that's partially shaded by a tree later in the summer? And they should be planted deeper than herbaceous peonies, at least any that still have the herbaceous feeder root. If they're planted too shallow the herbaceous root can put up stems which could cause the graft to fail. They don't need to be pruned in the fall at all, a lot of the following year's growth actually appears on the woody stems. 2 of my Phoenix Whites died all the way back to the ground the last couple of years but put out entirely new growth so don't automatically assume it's dead if that happens to you. And no umbrellas are required! You'll find yourself getting more and more protective of your blooms, though. They're so pretty that it's a shame to have them fade quickly because of weather, I can see why people would be tempted to protect them. It just about breaks my heart to see how many blooms I lose to hail every year.
There are several members here who have 1st hand experience with multiple varieties so can probably steer you to the best varieties to try. I think it really depends on your color/shape preferences as to which you should start with. A recommendation would be Kinkaku--that one's a classic. Absolutely beautiful and pretty widely available, it's a double with a very distinctive yellow/orangey/pinky mix of colors. It's also known as Souvenir de Maxime Cornu. And tree peonies with Paeonia Lutea in their parentage have been known to rebloom in the fall! We actually have one member here who's posted pics of it happening for her (Kousa), I think it was Kintoh, a really pretty yellow. The yellows from that line are the only ones I've ever heard of that did that. I think you guys are in the same growth zone so you could have a chance at that as well! I'd be so ecstatic if that ever happened here....
Pam at Tree Peony Garden has been very helpful with info and her descriptions of the trees and their growing habits on their website is full of information to help you make a good choice. Her selection is getting sparse for the year, don't even know if she's still shipping, but here's the address if you want to take a look. Several people here have bought from her and have been very happy with the size and health of the roots.
http://www.treepeonygarden.com...
