Gorgeous lavender colour with prominent deeply coloured flares at the base of each petal. The petal margins are crinkled.

Named by the breeder in memory of his mother.

The flowers are well formed and symmetrical with a generous yellow centre.

They also make excellent cut flowers because the stems are quite long and the fragrance is good.

Beautiful pale pink flowers which are quite large and splashed with a deeper pink flare at the centre.

The petals keep their crinkled appearance well after the bud opens.

William Gratwick grew and hybridized tree peonies at his home in Pavilion NY. He was a friend of Professor Saunders and had many of his introductions. He imported both tree peony plants and seed directly from Japan. Per American Peony Society documents this peony was selected from thousands of imported seed grown by Gratwick.

This is another exquisite tree peony from the New York hybridizer William Gratwick.

Japanese tree peonies are generally thought to have little of the Chinese species peony P. rockii in their makeup because the telltale deep petal flares are not very common in tree peonies from Japan. This particular peony however has prominent flares. It also tends to grow a bit taller than the other Japanese peonies I have here suggesting perhaps a little bit of Chinese heritage.

This is the first tree peony I grew. It grows on the east side of our house where it receives about 6 hours of morning sun. It is planted next to ferns and underplanted with Tiarella cordifolia (foam flower) which blooms at the same time.

The flowers sit neatly atop the foliage. Here it only reaches about 70 cm because of winter die back but it should reach over a meter with better protection or a milder climate.

Just as the French hybridizers worked with the yellow species P. lutea to create such hybrids as ‘Souvenir de Maxime Cornu’ and ‘Chromatella’ so did the American breeder Professor A.P. Saunders, albeit about 50 years later. High Noon is part of the group he called the Golden Hind Group.

Winner of the American Peony Society Gold Medal in 1989 (see descriptions for award details). The flowers sit atop the foliage. Even with our harsh winters, this peony reaches well over 1.5 m. here. If the fall is warm and long, it will often rebloom. This picture was taken in the fall of 2006. Though the spring bloom period is much more prolific, a flower or two in the fall is a lovely surprise.

Large single flowers with a few extra petals. The flowers sit close to the foliage but are clearly visible from afar. The centre has a deeper overall colouring.

Ice Storm has a huge big centre filled with creamy white filaments. The flower is almost completely white with just a very faint lavender smudge at the base of each petal.

Quoting from the June 14, 2006 edition of the Financial Times “Sir Peter Smithers, the man who inspired James Bond books and who has died at the age of 92, was not only a spy but a politician, a barrister, a diplomat who headed the Council of Europe - and one of the 20th century’s great gardeners “

I find it fascinating the diverse backgrounds of people who have been drawn to peony breeding.

Hugh lavender purple flowers sit on the foliage (and not under it!). Perhaps a little difficult to orchestrate other plants around it because it is such an attention grabber. It is however worth the effort to create a space where it can be the star attraction for the duration of its short bloom period.

Nassos Daphnis was a Greek-born American artist and a friend of William Gratwick. Like many peony breeders, peonies were his hobby. He was a working artist for whom the use of colour was fundamental. An artist’s eye and understanding of colour combined with some obvious horticultural skills led to the development of a superb collection of peonies which he named for the most part after figures of Greek mythology.

Like all of Daphnis introductions, Leda has perfectly formed flowers. The colour is strong but ages well.

Marchioness is part of what Saunders called his Tea Rose group of tree peonies. He described peonies in this group as “generally yellow, but tinted and suffused reddish“. The petals have good substance and the flowers stand inclement weather well.

A very old and still widely grown tree peony of Japanese origin. The American Peony Society says this peony appeared in a Japanese catalogue in 1898 and first appeared in a European catalogue in 1905. A peony that has been in commerce for over 100 years has undeniably something to offer. The flowers are large and open.

Renown is part of what Saunders called his Banquet group of tree peonies. He described peonies in this group as “Generally reddish but with yelllow undertone”.

The flowers are nicely positioned on the plant and hold their original colour very well.

Savage Splendor is part of what Saunders called his Mystery group of tree peonies. He described peonies in this group as “ivories, pearled shades, suffused mauves”.

It is by no means an insipid flower. The centre is very dark and the petal margins are quite red. The underlying colour however is warm ivory.

Spring Carnival finds itself in Saunders’ Tea Rose group. It is predominantly a strong yellow but the centre flares are red as are the margins of the lightly twisted petals.

Yuki-zasa is the antithesis of the bold colours of Saunders and Daphnis peonies. It is a large snowy white peony of ethereal beauty.

Though it will grow well in full sun, I prefer to see it in an area with some light shade for part of the day which will give the white flowers a more luminous effect.