2021 Southern Peony Colors Page Updates

While working on updating the colors for the Southern Peony Colors page, I noticed that some of the colors I was adding didn't accurately match the swatches in my RHS Mini Color Chart. I was previously (until this month) using the color RGBs listed in the RHS Color Fans from the Azalea Society of America, which have some noted flaws listed here on the Azalea Society of America Color Systems page, if you are interested in a bit more depth on color matching theory. I had noticed this in the past on a couple of the colors and tried adjusting the brightness on them manually to get them to match the swatch a bit better. Since I felt the color swatches I was creating were too manual of a process and open to a bit more error, I decided to search for a different RHS RGB color chart.


Southern Peony Colors Page Navigation Bar So I found this PDF of an RHS RBG chart from the International Lilac Society - Lilac Color Groups by RHS, which I have downloaded for future reference as well, as I add new colors in the future. This RHS RBG chart seems to be much more accurate than the Azalea Society RGB charts. RGB is the numerical representations of the amount of Red, Blue, and Green that are needed make up any color in our visible color spectrum. This RGB number can be represented as either 3 separate 3-digit numbers or a single hexadecimal number. Anyway, enough color nerd stuff, the point of all this is I used these updated RGBs to remake all of the color swatches on my Southern Peony Colors page.

Don't worry, the peonies themselves haven't changed, their relationship to other peonies classified in the same color haven't changed. The only thing that has changed is that you should get a more accurate color representation on your device when you view the Southern Peony Colors page. Hopefully this all make sense and helps readers find the peony colors they are looking for, for their garden! Also while I was updating the Colors page, I also decided to update the navigation bar at the top to have a small color swatch underneath each color name (as shown in the photo above) - hopefully making the navigation a bit quicker too!  🙂

2021 RHS Color Codes for Peony Blooms

Intersectional Peony 'Chief Black Hawk'
I managed to collect a few more peony bloom color codings this year despite mostly taking a break from peony "responsibilities" this year. There were 2 new RHS colors that I added to my Peony Colors page this year. Dark Purple Brown 59A and Yellow Orange 18C were the new colors I hadn't recorded for blooms before. When this happens I have to create new PNG images of the colors to add to the Peony Colors page, so that all of you know what the color "looks" like. I decided to update the RHS Color images codings from the Azalea RGB to the Lilac RGBs, which seemed to be more accurate to me. Look for an upcoming post on that!

	Chief Black Hawk - Dark Purple Brown 59A *
	Houki - Purple 58A
	Lavon - Pink Violet 75C
	Pietertje Vriend Wagenaar - Pink 68C
	Scrumdidleyumptious - Yellow Orange 18C *
	Shimane Cho Juraka - Purple Pink N74C
	Viking Full Moon - Light Yellow Green 2C
	Yankee Doodle Dandy - Dark Pink Red 51B

Also in case you hadn't noticed, I also added Intersectional Peony "Chief Black Hawk" to my Peony Photos page (and it's also the featured peony for this month on our Southern Peony front page!)

2020 Peony Blooms Colors on RHS Colour Chart

This is a post that I drafted back in May of 2020. I was able to collect quite a few color codings last year (and a few this year too - look for that post coming soon!) I figured I'd sneak in a couple photos of Intersectional Peony 'Berry Garcia' from 2020 since it was the first peony on this alphabetical list. There are several new colors here that I'd not seen before and needed to add a category for on my Peony Colors page. Some the new colors added for 2020 are: Light Yellow Orange 19D, Pink Purple 72B, and Purple N79C.

Intersectional Peony 'Berry Garcia'

Berry Garcia - Light Yellow Orange 19D
Carl G. Klehm - White N 155B
Chiffon Clouds - Light Pink 56C
Glowing Candles - Light Pink 56C
Gordon E. Simonson - Pink Purple 72B
Joanna Marlena - Light Yellow Orange 19B & Red Pink 49A
Koukamon - Purple N79C
Lake o' Silver - Pink Purple N74B
Leda - Purple Red 55B
Lois Kelsey - White N999D
Lunar Glow - Light Yellow Green 2D
Mock Orange Yellow - Light Orange 26D
Renown - Dark Pink Red 51B
Sarah Bernhardt - Pink 70C
Shimane Cho Juraka - Purple Pink N74C
Smith Family Jewel - Red Pink 48C
Sonoma Welcome - Light Yellow 8C
Super Gal - Purple Pink 68A
Ursa Minor - Purple 71A
Victoire de la Marne - Purple 67A
Westerner - Pink Violet 75C & Light Yellow 8C

2020 Southern Peony RHS Color Matching

Peony Color Matching Tree Peony 'Lavender Hill'
I was able to capture some new peony colors this past bloom season. You can find the results of these new color codings on our Southern Peony Colors page. It takes good timing, a good "to do list", a good memory, and a handy RHS Color Chart to make this happen. It is really easy to miss the bloom on a particular plant on just the right day. Luckily, I was able to capture 13 new color codings last spring for my Southern Peony Color chart. We now have 226 peonies color coded!!! Wow! If you are looking to design with color, whether it be for your garden or for a bouquet, I hope you find our peony color chart useful! Enjoy!!


Peony Color Matching Tree Peony 'KC Red'

Peony Color Matching Intersectional Peony 'Singing in the Rain'
The new peony color codings completed in 2019 and just added to our Southern Peony Color Chart are:

Autumn Harvest - 4A Yellow

Canary Brilliants - 8C Light Yellow

Coral Sunset - 48C Red Pink

Faithful Dream - 38B Light Red Pink

First Arrival - N74C

Krekler's Red - 58A Purple

Magical Mystery Tour - 38B Light Red Pink

Nippon Beauty - 58A Purple

Skylark - 58B Purple Red

Sonoma Apricot - 8C Light Yellow

Sonoma Blessing - 38D Light Red Pink

Tropicana - 52A Dark Pink Red

Zuzu - N155B White

Peony Color Matching Tree Peony 'Shimadaijin'

Peony Color Matching Tree Peony 'Lavender Grace'

2019 Intersectional Peony Color Combinations

Intersectional Peonies 'Hillary' & 'Canary Brilliants'
I just wanted to share with you a few intersectional peony color combinations I captured during the bloom season this year (and no these are not on the same bush). These shots are on 2 different bushes that are planted next to each other. I don't want to get any of my varieties mixed up. So I always try to mix up the color combinations when planting my intersectional peonies out. Anyway when I saw these combinations in the garden, I just couldn't help but snap a shot of them. Some of them are complementary, some of them are contrasting, but any way you slice it they are all eye catching and gorgeous! I hope you enjoy!


Intersectional Peonies 'Sonoma Apricot' & 'Ballarena de Saval'

Intersectional Peonies 'Hillary' & 'Morning Lilac'

Intersectional Peonies 'Sonoma Apricot' & 'Ballarena de Saval'

2019 Intersectional Peonies with Color Block Petals

Intersectional Peony 'Kopper Kettle'
with Color Block Petals
I could barely believe this eye-popping bloom on my Peony 'Kopper Kettle' plant this year, and it wasn't the only one. There were actually several blooms on my Intersectional Peony 'Kopper Kettle' with varying degrees of color separation, but this one was by far the most dramatic. Usually my Peony 'Kopper Kettle' is a fun mix of orange, yellow, and coral. This year it was much different. Some of the blooms were the normal color, but several were not. Peony 'Kopper Kettle' was also not the only intersectional peony with color block petals on some of its blooms in my garden this year. Peony 'Singing in the Rain' and Peony 'Lemon Dream' both also have color blocked petals this year. If you don't yet grow any intersectional peonies, this might be another reason to add some to your garden! Enjoy!!


Intersectional Peony 'Singing in the Rain'
with Color Block Petals

Intersectional Peony 'Kopper Kettle'
with Color Block Petals

Intersectional Peony 'Kopper Kettle'
with Color Block Petals

Intersectional Peony 'Kopper Kettle'
with Color Block Petals

Intersectional Peony 'Lemon Dream'
with Color Block Petals

Intersectional Peony 'Kopper Kettle'
with Color Block Petals

Intersectional Peony 'Kopper Kettle'
with Color Block Petals

2018 RHS Colours 200 Peony Varieties' Bloom Colors Categorized

Tree Peony 'Angel Emily'
RHS Dark Pink Violet
I was able to "capture" 28 more peony bloom colors this year, bringing the total number of blooms evaluated for color up to 200. I think it is pretty exciting to be able to capture so many colors of so many unique peonies, and I can't wait to see what colors will appear next year. With so many new and unique bloom colors coming out these days, it is exciting to see how peonies are transforming and expanding their range of colors. I expect to continue to see more in the orange, purple, and yellow ranges as peonies continue to be hybridized and registered.


Tree Peony 'White Phoenix'
RHS White
This year I added 2 new color categories for peony colors I've cataloged, RHS Dark Pink Violet 77B for Tree Peony 'Angel Emily' and RHS Light Yellow Brown 158D for 'Yao's Yellow' ('Yao Huang' 姚黃). Each year, I continue to add new RHS colors and new cultivars to existing RHS Color categories. If you haven't yet seen our Peony Colors page, you should definitely check it out, especially if you really want to purchase a peony of a particular color. This can be useful if you are working on a garden design with contrasting or complementary colors or if you are just simply looking for one of your favorite colors in a peony bloom. You can also try growing early, late, and mid blooming varieties of a particular peony color to keep your favorite color of peony blooms coming all season long!


Tree Peony 'Yao's Yellow' ('Yao Huang' 姚黃)
RHS Light Yellow Brown

2018 Peony New Growth Foliage Colors

I've been wanting to do a survey like this for a long time. Foliage Color has been an item on my Surveys page for years, with no activity under it. Finally, I am able to starting recording something here. I've always thought it was neat how the new foliage of herbaceous peonies varied so much. I don't really see this kind of variation in the new foliage of intersectional peonies or tree peonies. So this article will focus mostly on herbaceous peonies. If you've not yet noticed the beautiful color variations in the new peony foliage, I'm about to open your eyes. Growing peonies to see the blooms is only part of the fun. Watching their new stems unfurl each spring, with bright neon green, scarlet red, or a lavender-tinted pink new foliage is just so exciting.

Herbaceous Peonies New Foliage Colors
Below you will find a sampling of some of the new peony foliage colors in my garden. The deep foliage colors of the chocolate peonies is so titillating. The bright neon green of the golden herbaceous peonies is so surprising. The red stems of the coral peonies seems so fitting. The lavender-pink foliage of the lavender peonies is so sweet. If you don't have peonies with a range of new spring foliage colors, now might be the time to start thinking about which peonies you'll add to your garden this fall to excite and entertain you next spring.

New Foliage Colors Peony 'Horizon'	New Foliage Colors Peony 'Golden Wheel'
New Foliage Colors Peony 'Lavender'	New Foliage Colors Peony 'Roselette's Baby'
New Foliage Colors Peony 'Many Happy Returns'	New Foliage Colors Peony 'Perfect Princess'
New Foliage Colors Peony 'Grace Root'	New Foliage Colors Peony 'Flame'
New Foliage Colors Peony 'Rose Garland'	New Foliage Colors Peony 'Lustrous'
New Foliage Colors Peony 'Paula Fay'	New Foliage Colors Peony 'Great Lady'
New Foliage Colors Peony 'Sarah Bernhardt'	New Foliage Colors Peony 'Paladin'
New Foliage Colors Peony 'Coral Charm'	New Foliage Colors Peony 'Coral Fay'
New Foliage Colors Peony 'Do Tell'	New Foliage Colors Peony 'Mrs. Franklin D. Roosevelt'
New Foliage Colors Peony 'Martha W.'	New Foliage Colors Peony 'Dark Chocolate'
New Foliage Colors Peony 'Gay Paree'	New Foliage Colors Peony 'Lake o' Silver'
New Foliage Colors Tree Peony 'Fuchsia Ruffles'