What could this purple reddish plant be?? Please help!

[justus]

Hello. We just bought a house last fall and these two plants popped up in the yard. Kind of awkward placement but both in line with each other. I cannot seem to figure out what they are though I have a couple ideas. Please help if you can!

IMG-20110515-00639.jpgIMG-20110515-00639.jpg

[Silver surfer]

Possibly a Paeonia. Common name Peony.

[justus]

Wow you're right!!! I never thought of that the leaves look just like peonies. Do you know why they are so purple? Is it a tree like peony? Hmm thank you soo much!

[Silver surfer]

Excelent.
Sorry, I have no idea why they are purple.
This link may help.

Questions On Peony

Quote from it....

Q: We have established peonies. This spring nearly all of the plants have red leaves instead of the normal green. Some of the plants have their normal green leaves. The leaves are a bright, light, red color. Could this be a fertilizer problem? (e-mail reference)

A: I doubt this is a nutrient problem. More likely it could be related to the cultivar of peony and the juvenility of the foliage. If the peonies don't green normally in a couple of weeks and it doesn't look like they are going to produce any flowers, then something else is causing this problem because I don't know of any mature red-leaf peonies.

[justus]

Thank you! I have since found a couple more randomly placed peonies in the lawn. :)