It’s almost time for these incredibly beautiful flowers to bloom. They are likely to be in bloom already in some regions. I have an Itoh Peony. It’s a cross between this classic style peony and a tree peony. It was a very expensive – a purchase I made a couple years ago. It was in a 5 gallon container at the nursery full of blooms and so very beautiful. I decided I wanted this plant in my life. Since that time it has not yet exhibited the beauty I saw. Even that first season, it went into transplant shock when I moved it to a much larger container. That ended is blooms. The following year, there was a hard rain each day through it’s blooming season and the blooms were pummelled. Last year, for unknown reasons, the blooms were few and only mediocre. At this time, the foliage of my Itoh appears dense and very healthy giving rise to great optimism. This could be the year of flourish I’ve been waiting for.
The flowers of the Itoh look different from those of the classics peonies. The Itoh just has a different look. You might want to look it up. I will show you mine when in bloom.
It’s a very complicated process to paint these densely petaled flowers, but once one suffers through the process, one feels so accomplished – it ALMOST feels worth it. Hope you’re having a wonderful beginning of spring. Winifred