Peony ‘Scrumdidleumptious’ – Itoh Peony

Product Details

Don’t let the tongue-twister name hinder you from getting to know this incredible Itoh Peony. ‘Scrumdidleumptious’ tosses up finely formed, semi-double to double blossoms (averaging 6” across) of soft creamy yellow suffused with pink that darkens slightly at the edges of the petals to form a subtle outline. Thanks to an additional one or two lateral buds per stem, plants are extremely floriferous and have an extended period of bloom. The gently fragrant flowers are displayed just above and beyond the dark green, disease-resistant foliage, making them superior landscape plants with upright or slightly arching stems that do not require staking. Introduced in 2002. Midseason.

Hybrids between Tree Peonies and herbaceous Peonies, known as Intersectional or Itoh Peonies, are superb, long-lived plants with the large, exotic blooms and refined foliage of Tree Peonies, but with stems that die back to the ground in fall like herbaceous Peonies. Making crosses between these two groups was a horticultural feat that proved remarkably difficult to accomplish. The quest for this elusive marvel began in Japan in the late 1940s with Mr. Toichi Itoh, and was picked up by American breeders. Don Hollingsworth introduced ‘Garden Treasure’ and ‘Border Charm’ in 1984. Rodger Anderson, an amateur breeder in Wisconsin, spent 12 patient years carrying out crosses, finally hitting the jackpot with yellow ‘Bartzella,’ registered in 1986. Since then, other beautiful colors have been developed, but only a few have made it into commerce.

For more information on growing Peonies, click Growing Guide.