Peony ‘Cora Louise’ – Itoh Peony

Product Details

The large, white blooms of Itoh Peony ‘Cora Louise’ have a relatively flat flower form, all the better to show off their dark lavender flares. Held on sturdy, 2′ stems above dark green foliage, the exquisite flowers are sterile (which means no pollen or seeds) with just a hint of fragrance. This striking semidouble is another example of Rodger Anderson’s fine work in crossing herbaceous and Tree Peonies. It’s a perfect choice for smaller spaces. Midseason.

Hybrids between Tree Peonies and herbaceous Peonies, known as Intersectional or Itoh Peonies, are superb, long-lived plants with the large, exotic blooms and refined foliage of Tree Peonies, but with stems that die back to the ground in fall like herbaceous Peonies. Making crosses between these two groups was a horticultural feat that proved remarkably difficult to accomplish. The quest for this elusive marvel began in Japan in the late 1940s with Mr. Toichi Itoh, and was picked up by American breeders. Don Hollingsworth introduced ‘Garden Treasure’ and ‘Border Charm’ in 1984. Rodger Anderson, an amateur breeder in Wisconsin, spent 12 patient years carrying out crosses, finally hitting the jackpot with yellow ‘Bartzella’, registered in 1986. Since then, other beautiful colors have been developed, but only a few have made it into commerce.