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May 2003 Newsletter Feature Article
Yellow Peonies by Lindsay D'Aoust
Yellow is certainly not a predominant colour in the world of herbaceous peonies! In fact yellow herbaceous peonies are few and far between and those that are yellow tend to be light yellow at best. Yellow is however seen in a larger number of tree peonies and is a prominent colour in those wonderful so called intersectional hybrid peonies (sometimes called Itoh hybrid peonies).
This article is about yellow herbaceous and intersectional peonies rather than tree peonies as these are the peonies I grow at la pivoinerie.
First some definitions ... Herbaceous peony: The type of peony we are perhaps most familiar with. The foliage of these peonies dies back to the ground each winter. In spring new shoots emerge from the soil. Tree peony: Not exactly trees, but more like small shrubs, these peonies lose their leaves each fall, but the woody stems remain intact over the winter. New leaves and flowers emerge from the stems each spring. Intersectional or Itoh peony: A peony produced by man when the pollen of a tree peony is used to fertilize a herbaceous peony (or vice versa) i.e. a herbaceous tree peony cross. The flowers and foliage are similar to those of tree peonies but they have the growth habit of herbaceous peonies in that they die back to the ground each winter. Unlike true herbaceous peonies however they do tend to keep a few buds on the lower portions of the stem over the winter.
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Flower colour is often what most attracts us to a plant. We, being not unlike many pollinators, have our preferences and these days yellow peonies are considered very attractive. They are however still quite scarce and their price often reflects this scarcity.
The presence (or absence) of specific pigments is what dictates flower colour. Genetics determine which pigments are present in a plant. I've read recently however that genetic engineering is being used to introduce genes of one species of plant into another, to produce colours not previously seen; a case in point being orange petunias. To my knowledge, this kind of technology has not yet been used on peonies. The colours found in peonies today are the result of nature and the breeding and selection work of plant breeders.
The peonies we grow in our gardens are descendants of species peonies found in the wild. Of the 30 some wild species known today, the colour yellow is prominent in but a few and it is from these few species that the yellow in garden peonies has originated.
The herbaceous peony species that have yellow flowers include: P. mlokosewitschiii, P. wittmanniana and P. macrophylla. One might debate just how yellow P. wittmanniana and P. macrophylla are but most would agree that P. mlokosewitschiii does indeed have yellow flowers. I've also read that P. peregrina, a bright red peony, contains a yellow pigment. With very little exception the yellow pigment in our herbaceous garden peonies today can be traced back to these species.
When it comes to tree peonies, botanists seem to be constantly discussing which peonies belong to which group, so, putting a name on those tree peony species that have yellow flowers can be a bit tricky.
Martin Page's book "The Gardener's Guide to Growing Peonies" talks of the wild growing tree peony species P. lutea, P. lutea var ludlowii and P. potanini var trolliodes as having yellow flowers. Slightly later classification work by Chinese botanists sees P. lutea and P. potanini as part of P. delavayi, while P. lutea var. ludlowii becomes a species unto itself. Regardless of the names given, these are the wild species likely responsible for the yellow we find in tree peonies and the intersectional or Itoh hybrids today.
The following images are the work of Lilian Snelling and are from "A Study of the Genus Paeonia" by F.C. Stern (published 1946 by the Royal Horticultural Society).
Paeonia potanini var. trollioides
P. wittmanniana var. nudicarpa
P. mlokosewitschiii
A few more definitions... Cross: Coming from the term cross-pollination. A cross is made when the pollen of one peony is used to pollinate or fertilize another peony. Hybrid: In the context of peonies, generally accepted to mean a peony that was created when a cross is made between two distinct species of peony. This is sometimes called an F1 hybrid. F2 Hybrid: The hybrid resulting from a cross made between two F1 or first generation hybrids. Second Generation Cross: A cross in which the first generation hybrid peonies have been crossed again or essentially the cross that creates the F2 Hybrid. |
Yellow Intersectional or Itoh peonies:
Intersectional or Itoh peonies are those peonies that have resulted from crosses made between herbaceous and tree peonies i.e. two distinct sections of the peony family. They are a very special type of hybrid peony. Though they are not widely grown today, they are becoming more popular each year as people discover their wonderful flowers and remarkable hardiness.
The flowers resemble more closely those of tree peonies but the plant habit is decidedly herbaceous, making them much hardier than tree peonies. For those of us in more northerly climes, they allow us to have magnificent yellow peonies in our gardens that are very hardy.
The first intersectional crosses are attributed to Mr. Toichi Itoh of Japan hence the name Itoh hybrid.
The yellow Itoh hybrids trace their yellow colour to the tree peony parent P. lutea (see previous discussion regarding actual nomenclature used by botanists).
There are certainly not many Itoh peonies available today but there are some truly remarkable yellow ones. One thing however that these peonies have in common is their high price tag. Prices generally range from about $60 USD to well over $200 USD.
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Yellow Crown, Yellow Emperor, Yellow Dream, Yellow Heaven
These are the original intersectional peonies bred by Mr. Itoh in the late 1940's. They are often seen in the catalogues of large wholesale nurseries, and as such, often find their way into local garden centres. The consensus however, seems that over the years these plants have become quite mixed up (being that they are quite similar, and distribution has been wide, this is not difficult to believe). Yellow Crown is the name seen most frequently.
Regardless however of what name they are purchased under, they are decidedly yellow in colour, and make very attractive plants. They tend to be the least expensive of the Itoh hybrids.
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Garden Treasure
Introduced by Don Hollingsworth in 1984, this is probably my favourite intersectional peony. Not only does it produce perfectly formed yellow flowers, it is also quite fragrant. This was the first intersectional peony to win the American Peony Society gold medal.
Garden Treasure can be found in several peony catalogues this year, including our own, and that of the breeder, Don Hollingsworth. It is usually listed for about $125 USD.
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Bartzella
An intersectional peony of some notoriety - probably related to its price of nearly $300 USD. A gorgeous peony bred by Mr. Roger Anderson, and registered in 1986. Like Garden Treasure, it has deep yellow flowers and a good fragrance. It is perhaps a little taller than Garden Treasure and produces flowers on slightly longer stems.
This picture was taken at Bill Countryman's nursery in Northfield VT.
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Viking Full Moon
This is one of the intersectional peonies I do not grow as of yet but certainly will someday soon. In contrast to Garden Treasure and Bartzella this is a single flowered peony and the colour is much paler, though still decidedly yellow.
Viking Full Moon can be found in the catalogue of Hollingsworth Nursery this year and is listed at $125 USD.
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Herbaceous yellow peonies:
The yellows found in herbaceous peonies are certainly not as deep as those found in the above Itoh peonies. Subtle though the yellow may be, these are still quite distinctive peonies, and those that I grow here have always been much admired by visitors.
The following is a list of some of the better known, but not necessarily widely available, so called yellow herbaceous peonies.
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Haung Jin Lun
This peony is may also be known as Aurea, Goldmine, Golden Wheel, Minuet, Oriental Gold and Yokihi depending on who is talking about it i.e. the naming is quite confused.
It is a double flowered peony whose flowers are definitely light yellow. The roots are also a distinctive shade of yellow. I've seen it listed in catalogues as a cultivar of P. lactiflora . This being the case, where did the yellow pigment come from? The origins of this peony don't seem to be well known in the western world but it is assumed to be a very old Chinese cultivar. And, just to make things more interesting, I've read speculation (ref: Paeonia Vol 31 No. 1) that perhaps the yellow pigment found in this peony could have come from a now extinct peony species.
In recent years it has been listed in the large wholesale catalogues that serve as a source for many garden centres. Likely this will mean that it can be found growing in containers at local garden centres. I've seen it listed in peony catalogues this year from $80 USD to 200 GBP.
The following picture was taken at Bill Countryman's nursery in Northfield VT. (Those are my daughter's feet…)
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Nova and Nova II
Nova was introduced by the American peony breeder Prof A. P. Saunders in 1950 as a strain (several similar peonies with similar breeding) resulting from second generation crosses of P. mlokosewitschiii x P. macrophylla. The flowers are small, single and pale but distinct yellow. Below average height and a very early bloomer. Nova II was registered by Don Hollingsworth as "possibly the best Nova performer in the garden".
Nova II has been listed in previous catalogues of Hollingsworth Nursery, though not this year. We also have a few plants that will eventually be available.
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Sunny Boy and Sunny Girl
Both were registered with the American Peony Society in 1985 by Chris Laning but I have rarely seen them listed in catalogues. Both are double peonies described as having medium yellow flowers. Sunny Boy is described as having "purple red flares at the petal base". Sunny Girl does not have these flares. Sunny Girl is also supposed to be a bit taller than Sunny Boy.
Both of these peonies have quadruple hybrid ancestry, meaning four distinct species figure in their parentage. Exactly which species these are does not seem to be well documented.
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Goldilocks
This peony is the result of a cross between Oriental Gold (aka Haung Jin Lun described above) and Claire de Lune. The flower is fully double and light yellow. The peony was registered with the American Peony Society in 1975 by Ben Gilbertson. This peony has a double dose of yellow pigment in that both parents are considered yellow. The breeder described it has having no fragrance, and being similar to Oriental Gold above ground but with roots more typical of P. lactiflora i.e., not having the distinct yellow root colour found in Oriental Gold.
We have some young plants in the field and hope to add them to our catalogue in the future. This year however Goldilocks can be found in several peony catalogues including that of Hollingsworth Nursery. Average price is $50 USD.
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Claire de Lune
This peony is the result of crossing the old French double pink peony M. Jules Elie with the yellow species peony P. mlokosewitschiii. The result is a pale yellow single peony of about average height. Claire de Lune flowers early in the season. Claire de Lune was bred by Dr. E.B. White who apparently was very persistent in his attempts to cross P. lactiflora with P. mlokosewitschiii - a cross reputed to be very difficult to make.
This year Claire de Lune can be found in the catalogue of A&D Nursery for $40 USD.
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Early Glow
This is another of Don Hollingsworth of Hollingsworth Nursery's introductions, and a veritable new introduction it is at that (1992)! This peony resulted from a cross made between Roselette's Grandchild and Cream Delight. Again, P. mlokosewitschiii figures in the background of both these parents.
Early Glow is another single pale yellow peony that will bloom early in the peony season.
We offer this peony in our catalogue this year as does Hollingsworth Nursery.
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Roy Pehrson's Best Yellow
Yet another pale yellow single that will bloom early in the season. There does not seem to be an obvious link to P. mlokosewitschii in the background of this particular hybrid but there again,
the exact lineage of this peony is not well documented in the American Peony Society registration.
Roy Pehrson's Best Yellow can be found in the catalogues of Hollingsworth Nursery and A&D Nursery this year.
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Prairie Moon
This is a not often seen semi-double pale yellow peony. We have grown this peony here for several years and whenever it is in our catalogue, it disappears quickly. The flower form is somewhat variable in that flowers range from single to semi-double on the same plant. It has no fragrance to speak of. The foliage is bright green and serves beautifully to show off the pale yellow hue of the flowers.
As far as I can tell from published information, Prairie Moon's ancestors include P. lactiflora , P. macrophylla and P. peregrina but no obvious link to P. mlokosewitschii. (though there is an unspecified F2 hybrid involved in its background 2 generations previous)
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Lemon Chiffon
Like Goldilocks this peony produces fully double pale yellow flowers. It was the Grand Champion at the American Peony Society's 2000 show. Distilled to its species content Lemon Chiffon does seem to have P. mlokosewitschii in its background, though at least two generations back.
The only nursery I know of to sell Lemon Chiffon is that of its originator, namely Reath's Nursery in Michigan. It was available in their 2002 catalogue for $350USD.
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Summer Glow
Not exactly distinctively yellow but included because its colour is reputed to be unique. Summer Glow has fully double flowers that in the words of its breeder "open peachy light yellow, passing to yellow white as the flower ages out of doors". Its ancestry includes P. lactiflora and P. mlokosewitschii.
Summer Glow was registered in 1992 by Don Hollingsworth and has in the past been listed in his nursery catalogue.
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Daystar
Another single pale yellow peony resulting from the work of Prof. A. P. Saunders. Though the foliage gives few clues, this peony is the result of a cross made between P. tenuifolia (often called the fern leaf peony) and P. mlokosewitschii.
The plant is of average height and blooms early in the peony season.
Unfortunately I did not see any nursery offering it this year.
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So there you have it, a quick round up of most, but not all, yellow flowered herbaceous and intersectional peonies. There is no doubt that these peonies tend to be expensive but the ones I have grown have certainly been worth the expense! And if I could only have one yellow peony I would be very hard pressed to choose between the species peony P. mlokosewitschii and the magnificent Garden Treasure.
Thanks to the following people who graciously allowed me to use their pictures to illustrate this article. Brenda McGuire, Judy Wilmarth, Don Hollingsworth and Leo Smit. As they say, a picture is worth a thousand words and your pictures are beautiful!
Lindsay D'Aoust
email: .
phone: 450.458.2759 fax: 450.458.0253
La Pivoinerie D'Aoust,
P.O. Box 220, Hudson Heights,
QC J0P 1J0, Canada