Also called intersectional peonies, Itoh peonies have large, long-lasting blooms and strong stems that do not require stalking.
It would be very surprising if you haven’t noticed the gigantic blooms of a peony. The large, layered flowers bring you in and the sweet fragrance keeps you there. Saying Peonies are long-lived is an understatement as they can live up to 100 years! Rooted in mythology & symbolism, Peonies date back to at least 7th century BC. Incredibly, there are over 6,500 varieties in 3 main categories – Herbaceous, Tree Peonies and Itoh. Glen Echo stocks only the best of these varieties including the newest hybrid – the Itoh Peony. Here are examples of what you may find on your next visit.
Itoh Hybrid Peonies
An Itoh Peony is the cross between the common or herbaceous garden peony and the striking tree peony. Though not an easy task, this successful hybrid has all the finest attributes of the tree peony but behaves like a perennial. When Itoh Peonies were first introduced, they were well over $1,000.00 each. That has drastically changed. An Itoh peony’s flower buds open to reveal large, tree peony-type blooms in many different hues, including golds and yellows, colors not readily available among the herbaceous peony types.
