Morning Lilac Peony

Other Names: Itoh Peony

Group/Class: Itoh Hybrids

Description:

Amazing semi-double flowers are lilac colored with a dark purple center flare around the golden stamens; the petals are streaked with white and dark purple to further add to their beauty

Ornamental Features:

Morning Lilac Peony features bold lightly-scented lilac purple flowers with purple overtones, gold eyes and white streaks at the ends of the stems from late spring to early summer. The flowers are excellent for cutting. It's compound leaves emerge burgundy in spring, turning green in colour throughout the season. The fruit is not ornamentally significant.

Landscape Attributes:

Morning Lilac Peony is an herbaceous perennial with a more or less rounded form. Its medium texture blends into the garden, but can always be balanced by a couple of finer or coarser plants for an effective composition.

This is a relatively low maintenance perennial, and should be cut back in late fall in preparation for winter. It is a good choice for attracting butterflies and bees to your yard, but is not particularly attractive to deer who tend to leave it alone in favor of tastier treats. Gardeners should be aware of the following characteristic(s) that may warrant special consideration;

• Disease

Morning Lilac Peony is recommended for the following landscape applications;

• General Garden Use
• Mass Planting

Plant Characteristics:

Morning Lilac Peony will grow to be about 24 inches tall at maturity extending to 3 feet tall with the flowers, with a spread of 3 feet. The flower stalks can be weak and so it may require staking in exposed sites or excessively rich soils. It grows at a slow rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for approximately 20 years.

This perennial does best in full sun to partial shade. It does best in average to evenly moist conditions, but will not tolerate standing water. It is not particular as to soil pH, but grows best in rich soils. It is somewhat tolerant of urban pollution. This plant can be propagated by division.

This particular variety is an interspecific hybrid.