Strawberry Creme Brulee - Itoh Peony
Don Smith


Flowers are an unusual and exquisite blend of colors that is ever-changing and difficult to describe. The opening flowers are very dark pink, but fade as they mature to create a near bicolor effect that can best be described as a striking combination of light creamy pink and darker salmon pink highlighted with large, dark burgundy flares. Extremely floriferous bloomer with outstanding flower presentation and an unusually long blooming season. It seems that every year this plant has at least one or more stems that have 5 or 6 flowers each (with an average of 3-4). The flower form varies from single to full double, but is most often semi-double or double with 24+ petals. The primary flowers are large with a diameter of 6-7”, whereas the sidebud flowers are slightly smaller (5-6”), but usually more double. Overall, a top notch landscape variety with a slightly taller (average height = 32-33”) and more upright plant habit than most intersectional hybrids.