For the peony connoisseur: the Itoh peonies

'Kopper Kettle'

POSTED BY KIM — For the first time at Sugar Creek, we’re carrying a few of the Itoh (or Intersectional) hybrid peonies, which are a cross between the herbaceous and tree peony varieties.

Why is this so special?  By blending the genes of tree and herbaceous peonies you get full bushy plants produced from eyes at soil level (like what you might think of as “old-fashioned” peonies).

Qualities inherited from the tree peony include attractive dissected foliage, huge flowers up to 10″ in diameter, strong stems that easily support these monsteres, and a wide range of colors, including yellow. A mature Itoh peony will bear 30 to 50 flowers over several weeks in late spring, and some reading I’ve done says says that with deadheading, you might get a light re-blooming later in the season.

The first succesful cross of tree and herbaceous peonies was made in 1948 by Toichi Itoh (hence, the name).  It was years before these seedlings would bloom and many more decades before intersectionals were readily available to the public — at a cost of around $1,000 a plant!  The cost has come down considerably, closer to $80 per plant, but it still has lots of gardeners looking at the tag and saying Yikes! Why is this peony so expensive?!

Here’s an article from the American Peony Society about Itoh’s if you’re interested in more information.

In addition to ‘Kopper Kettle,’ we’re also carrying the much-sought-after ‘Bartzella,’ which is that delicious yellow.

'Bartzella'