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Fall 2009 Catalogue
Herbaceous Peonies A - E

Alberta Kelsey $25 Originator/Parentage: Kelsey 1937 / P. lactiflora Height/Staking: >90 cm / Best when staked Bloom Period: Week 6 Side buds/Fragrance: Several / Good Flowers fade elegantly to pale pink and show the occasional red streak. The American peony breeder Ernest Kelsey introduced a number of peonies in the first part of the 20th century. Many of them are hard to find these days which is a shame because I have yet to see a Kelsey introduction that I did not find to be particularly beautiful.

Alexandre Dumas $35 Originator/Parentage: Guérin 1862 / P. lactiflora Height/Staking: 60-90 cm / Best when staked Bloom Period: Week 5 Side buds/Fragrance: Several / Good Named in honour of probably one of the most famous of French writers. Author of The Three Musketeers to name but one of Alexandre Dumas’ books. This peony was named during his lifetime by the French nurseryman Modeste Guérin. Guérin was one of the earliest Europeans to import peonies from China and to use Chinese cultivars in a breeding program. This peony was one of his later introductions.

Amalia Olson $25 Originator/Parentage: Olson, C/Nelson 1959 / P. lactiflora Height/Staking: 60-90 cm / Depends upon location Bloom Period: Week 5 Side buds/Fragrance: 1 or 2 per stem / Excellent Per the American Peony Society this peony was named for Mr. Olson’s mother. Mothers seem to have had quite a few lovely peonies named for them over the years! The flowers are beautiful in all respects but the fragrance is what puts it on my list of great peonies.

Belle Center $30 Originator/Parentage: Mains 1956 / Hybrid Height/Staking: 60-90 cm / No Bloom Period: Week 4 Side buds/Fragrance: No / No Deep mahogany coloured flowers that do not fade with time. They look stunning when planted with yellow flowering plants. Named for the hybridizers home town Belle Center, Ohio.

Bu-te $25 Originator/Parentage: Wassenberg 1954 / P. lactiflora Height/Staking: >90 cm / Depends upon location Bloom Period: Week 5 Side buds/Fragrance: 1 or 2 per stem / Faint Another American Peony Society Gold Medal winner (see descriptions for award details). This is a very pretty flower of the Japanese form. The petals are pure waxy white while the centre is pale yellow. The flowers are large and the outer petals are slightly ruffled. This is a tall plant but does not necessarily need to be staked if it is protected from the wind and has a few neighbours to lend it support.

Burma Midnight $25 Originator/Parentage: Klehm, R.G. 1980 / Hybrid Height/Staking: 60-90 cm / No Bloom Period: Week 5 Side buds/Fragrance: Occasional / Faint An offspring of ‘Burma Ruby’. The flowers are perfectly symmetrical around a tidy centre. The colour is several shades darker than its parent making it a dramatic addition to the perennial border.

Butter Bowl $25 Originator/Parentage: Rosenfield, R. / P. lactiflora Height/Staking: 60-90 cm / Depends upon location Bloom Period: Week 5 Side buds/Fragrance: 1 or 2 per stem / Good This is a reliable peony that makes a great show year after year. The guard petals are almost perfectly rounded and the centre is deep golden yellow on opening. The flowers fade gracefully.

Carina $30 Originator/Parentage: Saunders 1944 / Hybrid Height/Staking: 60-90 cm / No Bloom Period: Week 4 Side buds/Fragrance: No / No Nice foliage more dissected than P. lactiflora. Flowers are a full semi-double. Good clear red.

Catherine Louise $45 Originator/Parentage: Ménard/D'Aoust 2005 / Hybrid Height/Staking: > 90 cm / No Bloom Period: Week 4 Side buds/Fragrance: Occasional / No Offered for the first time in 2008 and only a few divisions are available this year. This is a tall peony with waxy white flowers with distinctive deep red stigmas and filaments. The petioles and stems are almost uniformly dark red and accentuate the flowers beautifully. It has consistently shown excellent fall foliage colour and was selected for registration by Maurice Ménard before his death in 2002. Named for his granddaughter, Catherine Louise Ménard.

Charles Burgess $25 Originator/Parentage: Krekler 1963 / P. lactiflora Height/Staking: 60-90 cm / No Bloom Period: Week 6 Side buds/Fragrance: Occasional / Faint Deep burgundy flowers are held nicely above the foliage. The foliage itself is an attraction with it’s prominent red veins spreading across the deep green leaflets. Again, a great form and colour to mix with the more traditional heavy doubles so prominent at this point in the season.

Charm $25 Originator/Parentage: Franklin 1931 / P. lactiflora Height/Staking: 60-90 cm / Depends upon location Bloom Period: Week 6 Side buds/Fragrance: 1 or 2 per stem / Faint A valuable addition to the peony garden because of its colour and late bloom season. The beauty of the very deep colour is accentuated by the silky sheen of the petals. Awarded the Award of Landscape Merit in 2009 by the American Peony Society (see Descriptions for award details)

Chiffon Clouds $25 Originator/Parentage: Klehm, R.G. 1995 / P. lactiflora Height/Staking: 60-90 cm / No Bloom Period: Week 4 Side buds/Fragrance: Several / No When opening, the flowers appear to have been touched by a fine mist of pale pink paint. Plant this peony where you will be able to watch the initial effect fade to almost white as the flowers age.

Coral 'n Gold $30 Originator/Parentage: Cousins / Klehm R.G. 1981 / Hybrid Height/Staking: 60-90 cm / Depends upon location Bloom Period: Week 5 Side buds/Fragrance: No / No A vigorous plant with coral flowers. The centre is full of golden stamens. This peony was bred by Mr. Lyman Cousins of Ontario and subsequently registered with the American Peony Society by Roy Klehm. Like the other peonies of this shade, they look stunning when planted with plants having violet or blue flowers. Canadians will no doubt recognize this peony as being on the postage stamps issued in 2008. Awarded the Award of Landscape Merit in 2009 by the American Peony Society (see Descriptions for award details)

Coral Fay $30 Originator/Parentage: Fay / Reath D.L. 1973 / Hybrid Height/Staking: 60-90 cm / Depends upon location Bloom Period: Week 4 Side buds/Fragrance: No / Faint Very bright reddish pink flowers. Sometimes listed as a semi-double because of an extra row of petals. The foliage is an equally important part of this peony. The fern leaf peony, P. tenuifolia is one of its ancestors. This lineage accounts for the delicate, well dissected foliage that makes this a very attractive plant even when not in bloom.

Dainty $30 Originator/Parentage: Nicholls 1941 / P. lactiflora Height/Staking: 60-90cm / No Bloom Period: Week 5 Side buds/Fragrance: Several / Faint The name is somewhat at odds with the very large flowers. Petals medium pink with distinct white base and tidy golden centre. I consider this to be one of the best single pink peonies.

Dandy Dan $30 Originator/Parentage: Auten 1946 / Hybrid Height/Staking: 60-90 cm / No Bloom Period: Week 4 Side buds/Fragrance: No / No This is one sturdy peony! It is one of the first plants through the ground in the spring and nothing will knock it over. The foliage is a lighter green than many peonies and adds a nice addition to the perennial border. The flowers are a lovely shade of dark red with many uniform petals. Plants here often produce perfectly formed semi-double and double flowers on the same plant.

Delaware Chief $25 Originator/Parentage: Hollingsworth 1984 / Hybrid Height/Staking: 60-90 cm / Depends upon location Bloom Period: Week 4 Side buds/Fragrance: No / Faint A dramatic bomb double with good strong colour and excellent bush form. The flower form and colour are reminiscent of its parent P. officinalis ‘Rubra Plena’

Dr. F.G. Brethour $35 Originator/Parentage: Sass H.P./Bongers 1938 / P. lactiflora Height/Staking: 60-90 cm / Best when staked Bloom Period: Week 6 Side buds/Fragrance: Several / Good Named in honour of the Toronto peony breeder Dr. Frederick G. Brethour. Dr. Brethour was a dentist and hybridizer of peonies, lilac and iris. Despite the fact that his peonies seem to have been very well thought of, they are very hard to find today. Large pure white pleasantly fragrant flowers that stand out well against the dark green foliage. The double flowers are of the rose form without the wide guard petals seen on peonies such as Henry Sass. Makes a great cut flower! This is one of my favourite double white peonies.

Early Glow $35 Originator/Parentage: Hollingsworth 1992 / Hybrid Height/Staking: 60-90 cm / No Bloom Period: Week 4 Side buds/Fragrance: Occasional / Faint The flowers are pale yellow upon opening and fade to a rich shade of ivory as they age. They are symmetrical and tidy in appearance. The plant is wide with dense mid green foliage. This is an excellent garden peony when planted as either a specimen plant or in association with other perennials. If the spent flowers are not cut, the seed pods develop over the summer months into attractive structures full of seeds.

Elgin $35 Originator/Parentage: Brown, Wm 1952 / P. lactiflora Height/Staking: 60-90 cm / No Bloom Period: Week 5 Side buds/Fragrance: 1 or 2 per stem / This is only the second time I have had the opportunity to offer any of the peonies from the Ontario nurseryman William Brown. Like many commercial peony growers, his nursery was a part time affair until his retirement. He introduced about a dozen new varieties. Elgin has lavender pink flowers that show nuances of cream.

Eliza Lundy $30 Originator/Parentage: Krekler 1976 / Hybrid Height/Staking: <60 cm / No Bloom Period: Week 5 Side buds/Fragrance: No / No Similar in flower form and colour to the popular hybrid peony ‘Red Charm’ but lower in stature and blooming a little later. The flower colour holds up well even in strong sunlight. The plant is compact attaining almost 60 cm at maturity and makes an excellent addition to the front of the border.

Elizabeth Foster $30 Originator/Parentage: Saunders 1941 / Hybrid Height/Staking: 60-90 cm / No Bloom Period: Week 4 Side buds/Fragrance: No / No The very bright pink flowers of this peony are typical of the peonies bred by Professor Saunders when he crossed the more well known P. lactiflora peonies with P. peregrina. The resulting group of peonies is often referred to as the Lobata hybrids. No peony collection should be without at least one Lobata hybrid! Top of Page

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