2014 Intersectional Peony Catalog Price Comparison List

So. I really like intersectional peonies (also known as Itoh peonies). I've collected quite a few of them, but I definitely do not have them all (especially some of the more expensive varieties). So I've been keeping my eye on their prices, and they have been coming down in price as they become more common in the marketplace. I created a spreadsheet with all of the available varieties for 2014 from nurseries that specialize in peonies. I haven't ordered from all of these vendors, so I can't speak for their quality or reliability, but I thought this might be helpful information for other gardeners out there looking to collect intersectional peonies as well or maybe just add the first one to your garden. Also if you have your heart set on a particular variety, get your order in early, because some of these will sell out (and some of them already have)! Enjoy! (Also if you'd like your company to be listed here, please join the American Peony Society as a Commercial Member, since this is where I obtain my peony grower information.)

Price Change from Last Year Adelman - mostly same or higher Bannister - lower Birchwood - same Blossom Hill - same Brooks - mostly lower or same Buck Canyon - same or lower Cricket Hill - mostly same or lower Fina - same Hidden Springs - same Hollingsworth - mostly higher or same Peony's Envy - higher or same Solaris Farms - same or lower Song Sparrow - same or higher Swenson - mostly lower or same

Intersectional Peony	Price	Vendor
Al's Choice	$75.00	Brooks
Ballarena de Saval	$70.00	Adelman
Bartzella	$45.00	Solaris Farms
Bartzella	$60.00	Fina
Bartzella	$60.00	Swenson
Bartzella	$75.00	Brooks
Bartzella	$75.00	Buck Canyon
Bartzella	$79.00	Peony's Envy
Bartzella	$79.99	Hidden Springs
Bartzella	$80.00	Adelman
Bartzella	$80.00	Hollingsworth
Bartzella	$85.00	Birchwood
Bartzella	$90.00	Song Sparrow
Bartzella	$99.00	Cricket Hill
Bartzella	C$150.00	Blossom Hill
Berry Garcia	$125.00	Brooks
Border Charm	$35.00	Swenson
Border Charm	$40.00	Adelman
Border Charm	$44.00	Hollingsworth
Border Charm	$45.00	Birchwood
Border Charm	$60.00	Song Sparrow
Callie's Memory	$75.00	Solaris Farms
Callie's Memory	$75.00	Swenson
Callie's Memory	C$130.00	Blossom Hill
Canary Brilliants	$60.00	Swenson
Canary Brilliants	$70.00	Adelman
Canary Brilliants	$70.00	Brooks
Canary Brilliants	$79.00	Peony's Envy
Canary Brilliants	$90.00	Solaris Farms
Chief Black Hawk	$225.00	Brooks
Chief Black Hawk	$350.00	Swenson
Copper Kettle	$80.00	Solaris Farms
Copper Kettle	$150.00	Swenson
Cora Louise	$60.00	Adelman
Cora Louise	$60.00	Birchwood
Cora Louise	$60.00	Brooks
Cora Louise	$60.00	Buck Canyon
Cora Louise	$60.00	Swenson
Cora Louise	$74.95	Hidden Springs
Cora Louise	$79.00	Peony's Envy
Cora Louise	$99.00	Cricket Hill
Court Jester	$60.00	Swenson
First Arrival	$45.00	Solaris Farms
First Arrival	$60.00	Adelman
First Arrival	$60.00	Brooks
First Arrival	$60.00	Swenson
First Arrival	$75.00	Buck Canyon
First Arrival	$125.00	Bannister
First Arrival	C$130.00	Blossom Hill
Garden Treasure	$40.00	Solaris Farms
Garden Treasure	$55.00	Fina
Garden Treasure	$60.00	Swenson
Garden Treasure	$65.00	Buck Canyon
Garden Treasure	$68.00	Birchwood
Garden Treasure	$69.99	Hidden Springs
Garden Treasure	$80.00	Adelman
Garden Treasure	$80.00	Bannister
Garden Treasure	$80.00	Brooks
Garden Treasure	$84.00	Hollingsworth
Garden Treasure	$89.00	Peony's Envy
Garden Treasure	$99.00	Cricket Hill
Going Bananas	$40.00	Adelman
Going Bananas	C$130.00	Blossom Hill
Hidden Treasure	$35.00	Solaris Farms
Hillary	$50.00	Adelman
Hillary	$50.00	Brooks
Hillary	$50.00	Swenson
Hillary	$60.00	Buck Canyon
Hillary	$60.00	Fina
Hillary	$64.95	Hidden Springs
Hillary	$75.00	Solaris Farms
Hillary	C$130.00	Blossom Hill
Japanese Itoh	$35.00	Swenson
Joanna Marlene	$80.00	Adelman
Joanna Marlene	$100.00	Swenson
Julia Rose	$50.00	Swenson
Julia Rose	$75.00	Adelman
Julia Rose	$75.00	Brooks
Julia Rose	$75.00	Solaris Farms
Julia Rose	C$130.00	Blossom Hill
Kaleidoscope	$75.00	Buck Canyon
Kaleidoscope	$75.00	Swenson
Kaleidoscope	$90.00	Brooks
Kaleidoscope	$125.00	Hidden Springs
Kopper Kettle	$99.00	Adelman
Lafayette Escadrille	$60.00	Song Sparrow
Lemon Dream	$44.00	Buck Canyon
Lemon Dream	$45.00	Adelman
Lemon Dream	$45.00	Solaris Farms
Lemon Dream	$50.00	Brooks
Lemon Dream	$50.00	Swenson
Lemon Dream	$79.00	Peony's Envy
Little Darlin	$60.00	Birchwood
Little Darlin	$60.00	Song Sparrow
Lollipop	$75.00	Solaris Farms
Love Affair	$156.00	Hollingsworth
Luxuriant	$175.00	Brooks
Maroon Dragon Claw	$89.00	Cricket Hill
Momo Taro (Peach Boy)	$45.00	Solaris Farms
Morning Lilac	$64.00	Buck Canyon
Morning Lilac	$70.00	Adelman
Morning Lilac	$70.00	Brooks
Morning Lilac	$100.00	Swenson
New Millennium	$120.00	Solaris Farms
New Millennium	$250.00	Swenson
Old Rose Dandy	$35.00	Swenson
Old Rose Dandy	$44.95	Hidden Springs
Old Rose Dandy	$45.00	Adelman
Old Rose Dandy	$45.00	Solaris Farms
Old Rose Dandy	$89.00	Cricket Hill
Pastel Splendor	$35.00	Solaris Farms
Pastel Splendor	$35.00	Swenson
Pastel Splendor	$45.00	Adelman
Pastel Splendor	$47.95	Hidden Springs
Pastel Splendor	$70.00	Song Sparrow
Pastel Splendor	C$80.00	Blossom Hill
Prairie Charm	$35.00	Swenson
Prairie Charm	$50.00	Birchwood
Prairie Charm	$50.00	Brooks
Prairie Charm	$54.95	Hidden Springs
Prairie Charm	$60.00	Bannister
Prairie Charm	$60.00	Hollingsworth
Prairie Charm	$65.00	Song Sparrow
Rosy Prospects	$99.00	Adelman
Rosy Prospects	$99.00	Brooks
Rosy Prospects	$200.00	Swenson
Royal Blush	$150.00	Swenson
Saffron Innocence	$200.00	Swenson
Scarlet Heaven	$35.00	Swenson
Scarlet Heaven	$40.00	Adelman
Scarlet Heaven	$45.00	Solaris Farms
Scarlet Heaven	$79.00	Peony's Envy
Scarlet Heaven	C$80.00	Blossom Hill
Scarlet Heaven	$89.00	Cricket Hill
Sequestered Sunshine	$45.00	Solaris Farms
Sequestered Sunshine	$75.00	Swenson
Shining Light	$35.00	Swenson
Singing in the Rain	$125.00	Brooks
Sonoma Amethyst	$65.00	Adelman
Sonoma Amethyst	$65.00	Buck Canyon
Sonoma Amethyst	$75.00	Solaris Farms
Sonoma Apricot	$80.00	Adelman
Sonoma Blessing	$80.00	Adelman
Sonoma Floozy	$80.00	Adelman
Sonoma Halo	$350.00	Adelman
Sonoma Rosy Future	$125.00	Adelman
Sonoma Rosy Future	$150.00	Solaris Farms
Sonoma Sun	$80.00	Adelman
Sonoma Velvet Ruby	$80.00	Adelman
Sonoma Welcome	$75.00	Adelman
Sonoma Yedo	$200.00	Solaris Farms
Unique	$48.00	Buck Canyon
Unique	$50.00	Swenson
Unique	$60.00	Adelman
Viking Full Moon	$40.00	Solaris Farms
Viking Full Moon	$40.00	Swenson
Viking Full Moon	$44.95	Hidden Springs
Viking Full Moon	$45.00	Adelman
Viking Full Moon	$110.00	Song Sparrow
Watermelon Wine	$150.00	Adelman
White Emperor	$150.00	Swenson
Yellow Crown	$45.00	Solaris Farms
Yellow Dream	$100.00	Brooks
Yellow Emperor	$40.00	Swenson
Yellow Emperor	$55.00	Solaris Farms
Yellow Heaven	$90.00	Brooks

2014 Tree & Herbaceous Peonies in the Snow

Wow! This is a rare year for us. It snowed 4 days ago, and the snow is still here. We got about 3-4 inches of snow! Usually we have either no snow or only an inch that melts away by the very next day if not the same day. The weatherman was actually pretty accurate about the snow totals this time (just not the timing). The snow came about 6 hours later than they originally predicted - which caused some unnecessary school closings. My daughter was out of school Tuesday - Friday! We had lots of fun in the snow - going for a walk, sledding, and making snow angels.
Snow Forecast for NC
While I was out there I snapped a few pictures of my peonies in the snow. We got so much snow this time, the peony signs that stick up out of the ground were almost completely covered! Since the herbaceous peonies were buried, I took a few pictures of the tree and intersectional peonies in the snow since these are the only ones visible above the snow line. I know the snow is good for the herbaceous peonies since their buds are below ground and they need the chilling hours, but I'm not so sure how much the intersectional and tree peony buds appreciate the snow. I guess we'll find out in the spring. All of the tree peony buds are above ground and several of the intersectional buds are too, since I don't trim my intersectional peonies all the way back to the ground. :-)
Tree Peony 'Fragrant Jade' in Snow


Tree Peony 'Li Yuan Chun' in Snow


Intersectional Peony 'Bartzella' in Snow

2014 First Peony Order of the Year

I took a moment this past week to make my first peony order of the year. This year I placed my first order with Solaris Farms. I am really excited about this order. I instantly fell in love with Peony 'Angel Emily' last year when I saw the photo of it on their web site. Its lavender color and loads of blooms on a rockii species plant with its signature purple flares just made me giddy. I really wanted it. Even though that was only April of last year, it was, sadly, already sold out. So I was delighted to see that they were offering it again this year. Even though the price hadn't gone down any since last year, I still wanted it. I also found the listing for Peony 'New Millennium' in their intersectional peony offering, with a price half of what it was available for last year. So even though the price tags were still hefty, I decided to order both! I am also curious to see the size and quality of the roots they send as well as their packaging and shipment method. I am hoping that I will find another good, quality peony supplier in Solaris Farms. If you've never seen their site before, perhaps you should check it out to see if anything catches your eye! :-)

Peony 'Angel Emily'
Photo Courtesy of Solaris Farms


Peony 'New Millennium'
Photo Courtesy of Solaris Farms

2013 Peonies in Beijing, Shanghai, and Suzhou China

Recently my husband and I took a trip to his home country of China. This was my first visit there, and naturally my interest in peonies extended to peonies in China as well. We took tours in several Chinese cities, and everywhere we went I looked for peonies. They weren't too hard to find! I found them in their palaces, gardens, temples, and botanical gardens! Even though it was late fall and most of the peonies were dormant, I still searched for their barren sticks, trying to gather any information about Chinese peony cultivation that I could. Over 95% of the peonies I found were tree peonies. There were very few herbaceous peonies to be found. The majority of the tree peonies I saw had already had their leaves removed from their stems. Also the dirt was mounded around the base of the tree peonies stems. I'm not sure if that was in preparation for winter or if they leave it this way all year round. There was no mulch on any of their tree peonies. They were all grown in soil that appeared to have been heavily and continuously cultivated. The soil was never flat or smooth. It was always uneven, like mounded globs of dirt and soil all around the peonies.
Dormant Peonies at the Imperial Palace in Beijing, China
The first place I encountered peonies in China was at the Forbidden City in Beijing, China. The Forbidden City served as the imperial palace in China for almost 500 years. The peonies there were grown in an outdoor garden, almost like a courtyard. They were growing in partial shade through the filtered sunlight nearly underneath a canopy of mature evergreen trees. These tree peonies had already been defoliated and were growing in an unmulched, cultivated bed surrounded by stone walkways and very low concrete and metal fences for protection.


Master of the Nets Garden in Suzhou, China
The next location I happened upon peonies during my trip to China was in the Master of the Nets Garden in Suzhou, China. The Master of the Nets Garden is one of the 9 classical gardens in Suzhou recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The peonies here were grown in a small cultivated bed next to the central pond of the garden. The bed also contained a mature pine tree that created some filtered shade for the peony plants. Underneath the peonies grew a type of evergreen grass-like perennial, similar to mondo grass. These tree peonies had also been defoliated and grew inside the bed surrounded by a low, curved bamboo fence that had been painted green.


Dormant Peonies at the Master of the Nets Garden in Suzhou, China

"Only in the sun of civilization can trees maintain evergreen."
Sign in the Peony Garden at the Master of the Nets Garden in Suzhou, China

Longhua Temple in Shanghai, China
The third place I encountered peonies in China was at the Longhua Temple in Shanghai, China. The Longhua Temple is a Buddhist temple in Shanghai where my husband and his relatives were visiting the Buddhas. I found the peony garden near the back of the temple complex. The peonies there were grown in globular cultivated soil surrounded by a decorative low concrete wall. The garden was surrounded on three sides by temple buildings and stone walkways. Four herbaceous trees were grown in the courtyard surrounding each of the four corners of the peony garden, creating a canopy of filtered shade over the peonies. This was the first peony garden I found that contained herbaceous peonies as well as tree peonies, though the tree peonies vastly outnumbered the herbaceous ones. This was also the first peonies garden I'd encountered where the tree peonies has not yet been defoliated. The herbaceous peonies also had not yet been cut back. A few of the peonies still has some green foliage, although their season was nearing the end since their growing climate is similar to my own.


Tree Peonies (P. suffruticosa) at the Longhua Temple in Shanghai, China

Peony Garden at the Longhua Temple in Shanghai, China

Peony Garden Sign at the Shanghai Botanical Garden in Shanghai, China
"The 3.24-hectare Peony Garden was established in 1980. As peonies prefer deep, fertile, well-drained soil with medium moisture and full sun to part shade, shrubs and trees such as winter sweet (Chimonanthus praecox), camellia, Tilia spp., and camphor (Cinnamomum camphora) were planted to create a suitable growth environment and a beautiful landscape. The garden specializes in tree peonies (the Flower King) and peonies (the Flower Prime-Minister). Approximately 10,000 tree peony plants, including 102 cultivars, are collected here. Most of the cultivars are from the China central plains (Zhongyuan) cultivar group, such as 'Luo Yang Hong' and 'Wu Long Peon Sheng.' Other cultivars are from Ningguo and Cixi, which belong to the China Southern Yangtse (Jiangnan) cultivar group. The precious Japanese cultivars 'Yachiyotsubaki' and 'Jitsugetsu-nishiki', the French cultivar 'Chromatella', and the American cultivar 'High Noon' are all included in the garden. In addition, approximately 35 peony cultivars, including 'Da Fu Gui', 'Zhao Yuan Feng', and 'Zi Feng Chao Yang' are grown here. So many gorgeous and antique peonies make the garden the best place in Shanghai for visitors to enjoy spectacular peonies in late April."


Dormant Peonies at the Shanghai Botanical Garden in Shanghai, China
The last place I encountered peonies was during a planned visit to the Shanghai Botanical Garden in Shanghai, China. Although I had been happy to see what peonies I'd seen in China thus far, when I finally arrived to the peony garden inside the Shanghai Botanical Garden, I sorely wished it were spring!!! There were more tree peonies in their peony garden than I had ever seen in my life! The sign at the entrance to their peony garden claimed "10,000 tree peony plants, including 102 cultivars." What a site this garden must be to behold in springtime!


Sculpture in the Peony Garden
at the Shanghai Botanical Garden in Shanghai, China
The peonies at the Shanghai Botanical Garden were grown in mounds of loose, cultivated soil, which appeared to have been recently top-dressed with compost. The garden was made up of beautiful meandering stone pathways between the huge peony beds. The beds were edged by mounds of gorgeous green grass like perennials that gracefully overhung the solid stone block walls which lined the walkways. The light in the garden ranged from full sun to partial shade created by large, mature herbaceous trees interspersed and surrounding the garden. The foliage had also been removed from all of their peonies, quite a large job for a team of gardeners, I'm sure! The peony garden contained a beautiful statue of a woman or goddess and a traditional Chinese building and garden wall. I will have to visit there again sometime in April! :-)


Dormant Peonies at the Shanghai Botanical Garden in Shanghai, China

Tree Peony Garden at the Shanghai Botanical Garden in Shanghai, China

2013 American Peony Society Bulletin Article - Public Gardens Peony Donation Project

As promised here is the article I wrote for the December 2013 issue of the American Peony Society bulletin...

"When I first joined the American Peony Society board, I was asked to become the Publicity Chair for the APS. Unsure of the duties and responsibilities for the role, it seems I assumed by default a role that no one else claimed. This year my goal has been to get peonies planted at a local arboretum here in Raleigh, NC. The project is going well, and in the back of my mind I was hoping to continue the program, finding a new arboretum or public garden in need of peonies each year. The APS president, Dana Tretheway commented to me that I was doing a great job as a Publicity Chair working on this project to get peonies installed at a public garden. I guess I never thought of it as a part of my Publicity Chair duties. I just wanted to spread the love of peonies everywhere, but I guess that does kind of fit.

When I first approached Mark Weathington of the JC Raulston Arboretum in Raleigh, NC, he seemed a bit reluctant and not quite as enthusiastic as I’d hoped about the prospects of so many new and free (to him) peonies. After several email exchanges I was able to set up an in person meeting with him to discuss the possibility of a peony donation on behalf of the American Peony Society. Since I am a board member local to his garden, I was willing to donate several varieties myself, and wanted to ensure the project would be a success.


The JC Raulston Arboretum
When I met Mark in person at the JC Raulston Arboretum, we got along fabulously, and after our discussion he seemed much more excited about the prospects of a large peony donation to his garden. The mission of his Arboretum is to educate the public on varieties of plants that perform well in the garden that they may have not have seen or been introduced to before. I thought that was perfect and informed him of the American Peony Society’s Award of Landscape Merit program which selects peonies “chosen for superior ornamental value, overall appearance in the landscape and throughout the growing season, and reliable performance across North America”.

Mark was quite excited to hear about this APS award and didn’t realize we had such a program. I also talked with him about our Gold Medal selections, and we discussed how and where these peonies might fit into his landscape. There are several different garden sections or rooms at the JC Raulston Arboretum, and Mark seemed to be interested in trying to fit peonies in all of them. He inquired about Itoh intersectional peonies since he’d heard how these were the latest and greatest peonies. However he did not have any in his collection. There is an Asian Valley garden that he was interested in adding some Asian tree peony cultivars and a rock garden that he wanted to add rock garden peonies too. For someone who didn’t have very many types of peonies currently represented at his garden, he sure was interested in all the different type of peonies.

After walking the garden together, I believe we only found 5 different types of peonies in the garden. After our meeting I asked Mark how many peonies he could plant if the APS board members were able to donate peonies for him. He said he could plant 40 or 50! Wow, that was great news! So off I went to solicit donations for the JC Raulston Arboretum. With the collaborative effort and good will of several APS members and a local plant nursery, we were able to donate over 40 peony varieties to him including APS Award of Landscape Merit selections, APS Gold Medal selections, Itoh Intersectional varieties, and several herbaceous peonies that would grow exceptionally well in North Carolina.

I’d like to thank the following donors for all of their help with this year’s Public Gardens Peony Donation Project: Adelman Peony Gardens, Adriana Feng, Homewood Nursery, Hollingsworth Peonies, Klehm’s Song Sparrow, and Jim & Lore Sampson of Rarity Gardens. I’m looking forward to seeing all of the peonies in bloom, and sharing those blooms with everyone! I’m also looking forward to the next Public Garden Peony Donation Project! :-)"

Since the publication of this article, the JC Raulston Arboretum has received an additional donation from Cricket Hill Garden. So on behalf of myself and the American Peony Society, I'd also like to add our thanks and appreciation to Cricket Hill Garden as well!