There’s been a lot of excitement about the intersectional peonies in the last few years. But the first crosses of tree peonies and herbaceous peonies were made by Toichi Itoh in 1948. Itoh died just after his first hybrids made it to market. For the next fifty years, their scarcity brought market prices near $1,000 a plant for some varieties. Although I was given my Monrovia plants by a local distributor, they still retail for $120. But you can buy a good root division for $70-80 in the fall.
From the tree peony genetics come the larger blooms, stronger stems, dissected foliage and the introduction of the yellows and orange blends. The herbaceous parent brings to the party the more manageable plant size and most importantly, the sheer abundance of bloom. But the most exciting part of this breeding breakthrough is the development of more than one bloom per stem, so a cool spring can deliver blooms for up to a month.
‘Garden Treasure’ is the standard bearer for today’s Itoh peonies. In 1996, it was a recipient of a Gold Medal by the American Peony Society and then received the Award of Landscape Merit in 2009 from the same organization. This image was shot in the vase.
This was ‘Garden Treasure’ after Mum had already cut off about six blooms for cut flowers. She was too eager to pick before she shot the image.
The subtle colorings of ‘Kopper Kettle’ are hard to capture in a single image. But I consider it my most cherished investment. ($120 for a perennial classifies as an investment in my limited world).
I wouldn’t have spent so much of my own money on these outstanding plants, but they have afforded Mum and I with much pleasure.
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