| Dandy Dan $30 |
| Originator/Parentage: |
Auten 1946 /hybrid |
| Height/Staking: |
60-90 cm / Not required |
| Bloom Period: |
Week 4 |
| Side buds/Fragrance: |
None / None |
|
| 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 lovely shade of dark red with many uniform petals. Plants here often produce perfectly formed semi-double and double flowers on the same plant.
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| Dawn Pink $30 |
| Originator/Parentage: |
Sass 1946 / P. lactiflora |
| Height/Staking: |
60-90 cm / Not required |
| Bloom Period: |
Week 5 |
| Side buds/Fragrance: |
Several / None |
|
| The medium pink flowers hold their colour well. Once the flowers are finished, the decorative seed pods ripen over the summer, spitting in the fall to reveal a good crop of dark seeds.
I find the flowers of 'Dawn Pink' more symmetrical than those of 'Seashell' giving the plant a slightly more formal appearance. Definitely at the taller end of average peony height
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| Dearest $30 |
| Originator/Parentage: |
Pehrson/Hollingsworth
1992 /hybrid |
| Height/Staking: |
60-90 cm / Not required |
| Bloom Period: |
Week 3 |
| Side buds/Fragrance: |
1 or 2 per stem / None |
|
| Pretty delicate flowers sit atop robust foliage giving this plant an architectural appeal even when not in flower. The flowers are palest pink with marked deeper pink veining.
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| Doreen $25 |
| Originator/Parentage: |
Sass 1949 / P. lactiflora |
| Height/Staking: |
60-90 cm/ Depends upon location |
| Bloom Period: |
Week 5 |
| Side buds/Fragrance: |
Several / Faint |
|
| The guard petals are magenta rose in colour while the centre is an interesting frilly yellow. The foliage is light green and leaf margins are crimped adding an interesting texture to the plant. Flowers a day or two after ‘Westerner’ with flowers of the same form and size, only a few shades darker. They look great planted together!
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| Early Glow $35 |
| Originator/Parentage: |
Hollingsworth 1992 /hybrid |
| Height/Staking: |
60-90 cm / Not required |
| Bloom Period: |
Week 4 |
| Side buds/Fragrance: |
Occasional / Faint |
|
| Very pretty decidedly pale yellow flowers atop dense mid green foliage.
Another peony who’s seeds are definitely worth collecting and planting.
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| Early Scout $30 |
| Originator/Parentage: |
Auten 1952 /hybrid |
| Height/Staking: |
<60 cm / Not required |
| Bloom Period: |
Week 2 |
| Side buds/Fragrance: |
None / Faint |
|
| ‘Early Scout’ has inherited the dissected foliage from its parent P. tenuifolia. Though not as fine as P. tenuifolia I prefer this foliage as it resists the heat of summer somewhat better. The flowers are small and in perfect proportion to the foliage. A low growing plant barely reaching 60 cm (24") it is a great peony for the rock garden or the front of the perennial border.
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| Early Windflower $45 |
| Originator/Parentage: |
Saunders 1939 /hybrid |
| Height/Staking: |
60-90 cm / Not required |
| Bloom Period: |
Week 2 |
| Side buds/Fragrance: |
Occasional / Faint |
|
| The small delicate white anemone type flowers nod from the stems and are carried well above the pale green foliage. This is a superbly graceful plant but it does damage if touched by late season frosts.
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| Eliza Lundy $30 |
| Originator/Parentage: |
Krekler 1976 /hybrid |
| Height/Staking: |
<60 cm / Not required |
| Bloom Period: |
Week 5 |
| Side buds/Fragrance: |
None / None |
|
| 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 and excellent addition to the front of the border.
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| Elizabeth Foster $30 |
| Originator/Parentage: |
Saunders 1941 /hybrid |
| Height/Staking: |
60-90 cm / Not required |
| Bloom Period: |
Week 4 |
| Side buds/Fragrance: |
None / None |
|
| 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!
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| Evening Star $25 |
| Originator/Parentage: |
Sass 1937 / P. lactiflora |
| Height/Staking: |
60-90 cm / Best when staked |
| Bloom Period: |
Week 5 |
| Side buds/Fragrance: |
Several / Good |
|
| A beautiful peony originated by Hans Sass of Elkhorn, Nebraska. This is a classic white double peony. The flowers are completely transformed with no hint of pollen. The occasional thin red streak adds interest to the snow white flowers.
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| Fairy Princess $35 |
| Originator/Parentage: |
Glasscock Falk, 1955/hybrid |
| Height/Staking: |
<60 cm / Not required |
| Bloom Period: |
Week 4 |
| Side buds/Fragrance: |
None / None |
|
| A rock garden peony with flower size perfectly matched to the diminutive foliage. It would look great planted in a rock or scree garden but you could also plant it in the front of a herbaceous border where it would not look out of place.
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| Fairy's Petticoat $25 |
| Originator/Parentage: |
Klehm 1963 / P. lactiflora |
| Height/Staking: |
60-90 cm / Best when staked |
| Bloom Period: |
Week 5 |
| Side buds/Fragrance: |
1 or 2 per stem / Excellent |
|
| A pretty name for a pretty peony. Slightly taller than average when in flower. It is another of those taller double peonies that are best when staked but are well worth the effort. The fragrance is exactly what you would expect from a large double flower of this colour i.e. excellent!
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| Faith Fenton $30 |
| Originator/Parentage: |
Brethour 1938 / P. lactiflora |
| Height/Staking: |
>90 cm / Best when staked |
| Bloom Period: |
Week 5 |
| Side buds/Fragrance: |
Several / Excellent |
|
| Lovely pale lilac pink flowers have very distinct deep pink steaks. The flowers are quite flat and golden stamens can be clearly seen intermingled with the petals. The stems are very long and these make wonderful cut flowers.
Dr. Frederick G. Brethour was a Toronto dentist who bred peonies and other plants as a hobby. Unfortunately very few of his peony introductions are in commerce today.
I believe this peony was named for the Toronto journalist Alice Freeman who wrote in the latter part of the 1800’s and early 1900’s under the pseudonym Faith Fenton.
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| Fancy Nancy $25 |
| Originator/Parentage: |
Auten 1944 / P. lactiflora |
| Height/Staking: |
60-90 cm/ Depends upon location |
| Bloom Period: |
Week 5 |
| Side buds/Fragrance: |
Several / Faint |
|
| My Aunt is called Nancy so I first bought this peony for her. It is truly fancy! The flowers open a dark lilac colour and fade gracefully over time to something a little more subtle.
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| Félix Crousse $25 |
| Originator/Parentage: |
Crousse 1881 / P. lactiflora |
| Height/Staking: |
60-90 cm/ Depends upon location |
| Bloom Period: |
Week 5 |
| Side buds/Fragrance: |
1 or 2 per stem / Faint |
|
| Officially described as "brilliant crimson", the flower colour to my eye is more like that of raspberry Not a very romantic description but don't discount this peony. This colour is a wonderful foil for pale pink peonies such as ‘Seashell’ or ‘Bernice Carr’.
The plant produces numerous tidy flowers, each with a wide collar of guard petals and a tightly packed centre.
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| Festival Queen $25 |
| Originator/Parentage: |
Lins / P. lactiflora |
| Height/Staking: |
60-90 cm / Best when staked |
| Bloom Period: |
Week 5 |
| Side buds/Fragrance: |
Several / Good |
|
| Very pretty flowers of a form I particularly like; that of a flower within a flower. Eugene Lins introduced a number of peonies mostly in the first half of the 20th century. I grow as many of his introductions as I can find because they are all such beautiful, trouble free plants.
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| First Arrival $180 |
| Originator/Parentage: |
Anderson 1986 / Intersectional |
| Height/Staking: |
60-90 cm / Not required |
| Bloom Period: |
Week 5 |
| Side buds/Fragrance: |
1 or 2 per stem / Good |
|
| It is indeed the first Intersectional peony to bloom in my field. The flowers open medium pink and fade to almost white. The flower centre is streaked magenta that becomes more evident as the flowers age. Like most Intersectional peonies the flowers are long lasting even during inclement weather. The plant is very floriferous at maturity making it one of my favourite intersectional peonies.
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| Flame $30 |
| Originator/Parentage: |
Glasscock 1939 /hybrid |
| Height/Staking: |
60-90 cm/ Depends upon location |
| Bloom Period: |
Week 4 |
| Side buds/Fragrance: |
None / None |
|
| As the name suggest, this peony has very brightly coloured flowers. Pretty well all peonies have excellent foliage but I find this plant is particularly good. The foliage is glossy green and abundant.
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| Flaming Star $30 |
| Originator/Parentage: |
Hollingsworth 2001 /hybrid |
| Height/Staking: |
60-90 cm / Not required |
| Bloom Period: |
Week 4 |
| Side buds/Fragrance: |
None / None |
|
| Excellent red flowers. Often the adjective red is inappropriately used when describing the colour of some peonies but in this case it is 100% correct. The flowers are unequivocally red. The plant is on the short side of average peony height.
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| Friendship $30 |
| Originator/Parentage: |
Glasscock Falk 1955 /hybrid |
| Height/Staking: |
60-90 cm / Not required |
| Bloom Period: |
Week 4 |
| Side buds/Fragrance: |
1 or 2 per stem / None |
|
| Flowers carried well above the foliage. This is a lovely, unpretentious peony that reliably produces numerous flowers. The petals have a very distinct white flare at their base and like many brightly coloured hybrids, the petal colour fades gracefully from deep pink to almost white before the petals finally drop. No staking required. I highly recommend this peony.
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| Garden Lace $30 |
| Originator/Parentage: |
Hollingsworth 1992 /hybrid |
| Height/Staking: |
60-90cm/ Depends upon location |
| Bloom Period: |
Week 5 |
| Side buds/Fragrance: |
Several / Good |
|
| This is one of my favorite peonies. Though of hybrid origin, it resembles more closely its P. lactiflora parent in flower form and foliage. The pale pink guard petals are wide and the centre forms a tight cluster of light yellow ruffled staminodes. The plant is covered in flowers and has a nice bushy habit.
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| Garden Treasure $160 |
| Originator/Parentage: |
Hollingsworth 1984 / Intersectional |
| Height/Staking: |
<60 cm / Not required |
| Bloom Period: |
Week 5 |
| Side buds/Fragrance: |
1 or 2 per stem / Good |
|
| Winner of the American Peony Society Gold Medal in 1996. If I could grow but one yellow peony, this show stopper would be my choice. It is a vigorous grower that reliably produces truly yellow flowers over an extended bloom period.
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| Gilbert H. Wild $25 |
| Originator/Parentage: |
Nicholls/Wild & Son 1957
/ P. lactiflora |
| Height/Staking: |
60-90 cm/ Depends upon location |
| Bloom Period: |
Week 5 |
| Side buds/Fragrance: |
Several / Good |
|
| A very pretty floriferous peony which opens pale pink with magenta streaks occasionally on the centre and exterior petals. Over time the petals fade to almost pure white before dropping. This fading pattern, along with the later opening side buds, ensure that the plant gives a pretty display of pink and white flowers.
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| Gold Standard $25 |
| Originator/Parentage: |
Rosenfield 1934 / P. lactiflora |
| Height/Staking: |
60-90 cm / Not required |
| Bloom Period: |
Week 5 |
Side buds/Fragrance: |
Occasional / Excellent |
|
| Form and colour like this are always useful in the border but this peony has the added charm of a wonderful fragrance. Even though it is on the taller side of average height, it needs no staking.
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| Golden Bracelet $30 |
| Originator/Parentage: |
Brand 1939 / P. lactiflora |
| Height/Staking: |
60-90 cm / Best when staked |
| Bloom Period: |
Week 5 |
| Side buds/Fragrance: |
1 or 2 per stem / Excellent |
|
| Creamy white guard petals surround a ring of small golden petals (the bracelet...) which in turn surround a fluffy white centre.
The flowers form can be quite variable from one flower to another with some being more double than others. To my eye this adds to the interest of the plant.
The petals always seem to look a bit disorganized; a trait I love for an informal planting
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| Grace Root $30 |
| Originator/Parentage: |
Saunders 1940 |
| Height/Staking: |
60-90 cm / Not required |
| Bloom Period: |
Week 4 |
| Side buds/Fragrance: |
None / None |
|
| A lovely salmon pink peony. I first saw this growing in the Montreal Botanical Gardens a number of years ago. It took me a while to find a source of this peony but it was worth the wait.
Grace Root was the wife of Edward Wales Root, son of Elihu Root (the US Secretary of State and Secretary of War). The Roots lived down the street from Professor Saunders in Clinton, NY. Grace Root’s niece was Julia Grant ...
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| Heavenly Pink $45 |
| Originator/Parentage: |
Unknown/Smirnow /hybrid |
| Height/Staking: |
60-90 cm / Best when staked |
| Bloom Period: |
Week 5 |
| Side buds/Fragrance: |
None / None |
|
| Something of a mysterious peony in that its origins are unknown. It is however assumed to be a hybrid peony. I don’t recall ever seeing it listed in a catalogue. My stock plants were purchased from a collector a number of years ago. I had seen examples of the flowers on the show bench at the Canadian Peony Society Show on several occasions and was truly impressed by the size and beauty of the flowers. In my experience the plants can be tricky to establish but are well worth the effort.
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| Henry Bockstoce $35 |
| Originator/Parentage: |
Bockstoce 1955 /hybrid |
| Height/Staking: |
60-90 cm / Best when staked |
| Bloom Period: |
Week 5 |
| Side buds/Fragrance: |
None / None |
|
| Big bold flowers and foliage best describe this peony. It is a good choice for those wanting an impressive display and who have the space to accommodate this large peony. Interesting to note that I have both Bess and Henry (Bockstoce) available this year. Both were introduced in 1955 and both show the same note regarding parentage: hybrid from a cross of an officinalis with lactiflora on a 1F single red with a lactiflora double white or pink. (Several other Bockstoce introductions attribute the same parentage).
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| Horizon $25 |
| Originator/Parentage: |
Saunders 1943 /hybrid |
| Height/Staking: |
60-90 cm / Best when staked |
| Bloom Period: |
Week 4 |
| Side buds/Fragrance: |
Occasional / Faint |
|
| 'Horizon' is a subtle peony and is an excellent addition to any traditional perennial border. The golden center is large and the pink tipped carpels attractive. The flowers are just slightly fragrant.
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| Julia Grant $30 |
| Originator/Parentage: |
Saunders 1939 /hybrid |
| Height/Staking: |
60-90 cm / Not required |
| Bloom Period: |
Week 4 |
| Side buds/Fragrance: |
None / None |
|
| Very bright pink flowers that fade beautifully through several shades of pink.
For those interested in name derivations, you could spend quite some time on the family tree of Julia Grant and why Prof. Saunders would name a peony Julia Grant. I believe the peony was named for Julia Grant the great granddaughter of Julia Grant, the First Lady and wife of Ulysses S. Grant, the 18th President of the United States. Julia Grant the younger lived down the street from Prof. Saunders in Clinton New York.(If you are curious you can find the link between Julia Grant and Grace Root...another peony in this year’s catalogue)
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| Julia Rose $160 |
| Originator/Parentage: |
Anderson / Intersectional |
| Height/Staking: |
60-90cm / None |
| Bloom Period: |
Week 5 |
| Side buds/Fragrance: |
1 or 2 per stem / Faint |
|
| As with many of the other intersectional hybrids, the fade pattern is an important characteristic of this peony. I find the colours sometimes difficult to describe in words but perhaps a description of pinkish copper through to creamy yellow paints the right picture in my mind.
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| Krinkled White $25 |
| Originator/Parentage: |
Brand 1928 / P. lactiflora |
| Height/Staking: |
60-90 cm / Not required |
| Bloom Period: |
Week 5 |
| Side buds/Fragrance: |
Several / Faint |
|
| A profusion of pure white single flowers appear near the end of the season. This is one of my favourite peonies! The foliage is light green with tall strong stems making this peony a good choice for cut flowers.
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| Kukeni Jishi $25 |
| Originator/Parentage: |
Dessert/Mechin 1921 / P. lactiflora |
| Height/Staking: |
60-90 cm / Best when staked |
| Bloom Period: |
Week 5 |
| Side buds/Fragrance: |
1 or 2 per stem / Good |
|
| A lovely fluffy peony that is a strong grower. The flowers are of the Japanese form and are a lovely pale pink that blends nicely into the perennial border.
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