[ Peony (Paeonia officinalis subsp. huthii) | Posted on May 7, 2024 ] According to the article on subspecies of P. officinalis on the Peony Society website, P. officinalis huthii is native to a small region of S. and SE. France and NW. Italy. Its preferred habitat is oak, beech, or mixed oak-beech forests in limestone soil in mountain areas in a fairly narrow range of altitudes (900 - 2000 m, approx.) This probably means it isn't very vigorous in most gardens in North America. |
[ Peony (Paeonia x suffruticosa 'Bing Hu Xian Yu') | Posted on October 16, 2023 ] One English translation of the Chinese name is 'Jade Tribute In Icy Pot' |
[ Peony (Paeonia 'Rose Marie') | Posted on June 28, 2023 ] Disambiguation: There are two peony cultivars of this name. Absent any submitted photos, it isn't clear which of the two (see below) the creator of this entry intended. |
[ Peony (Paeonia lactiflora 'Flag of War') | Posted on June 16, 2023 ] The petals of Flag of War are very shiny or glossy, at least on their upper sides. There are few if any side blooms. |
[ Peony (Paeonia 'Chocolate Soldier') | Posted on June 8, 2023 ] Question about the flower form of Chocolate Soldier: The APS description indicates that blooms of this cultivar sometimes present as Japanese form, but other times develop as simple single forms. I personally have only seen single form blooms, and have only seen photos taken by others which appear to show single form blooms. I'd be interested to know if anyone has actually seen Japanese form blooms of Chocolate Soldier. |
[ Fragrant Snowball (Viburnum 'Cayuga') | Posted on April 3, 2023 ] Provenance confusion: According to various online sources, including the North Carolina State University Extension Gardener website, this viburnum is a hybrid cross between V. carlesii and V. carlcephalum. The latter is itself a hybrid between V. carlesii and V. macrocephalum. I have seen nursery tags on plants of Viburnum 'Cayuga', that represent it as a V. carlesii cultivar. I have seen other online sources that describe it as a V. Carlcephalum cultivar. |
[ Peony (Paeonia 'Balliol') | Posted on March 15, 2023 ] Disambiguation note: There is a second P. lactiflora cultivar named 'Lord Kitchener', breeder Renault, year of introduction 2016. There is an entry for both this 'Balliol', aka 'Lord Kitchener' by Kelway, and the 'Lord Kitchener' by Renault in the APS registry, but the Renault cultivar is not in the NGA database. In the APS registry, both are listed under 'Lord Kitchener'. Specimens of the Renault cultivar can be seen in the W.E. Upjohn Peony Garden in Ann Arbor (Beds 5 and 26). The Renault cultivar is a deep cherry pink double, unlike the crimson red single introduced by Kelway. |
[ Magnolia 'Ann' | Posted on November 11, 2022 ] This cultivar and others of the same series of M. liliiflora 'Nigra' and M. stellata 'Rosea' crosses are late bloomers (said to bloom 2-4 weeks later that M. stellata and M. x soulangeana varieties). This makes them less prone to damage from late spring frosts than those types. |
[ Tree Peony (Paeonia 'Charon') | Posted on August 11, 2022 ] The breeder, Nate Bremer, has provided a rather complete parentage for this cultivar on its page in the APS registry. Named cultivars that contributed to recently preceding generations include Chinese Dragon and Zephyrus. Bremer also notes that he named it after the figure in Greek mythology, Charon, who was the ferryman for newly deceased souls, carrying them across the River Styx to Hades. Perhaps the name choice is a nod to one of the peony's parents, Zephyrus, god of the west wind in Greek mythology. |
[ Intersectional Peony (Paeonia 'All That Jazz') | Posted on May 31, 2022 ] I couldn't find this peony registered with the APS, at least not under this name. It seems to be widely sold, and I did see an online ad for it for Home Depot which indicates the name is a trade mark, rather than a cultivar name. If that's the case, it might be registered under the cultivar name. |
[ Tree Peony (Paeonia 'Surprise') | Posted on May 13, 2022 ] Disambiguation notice. If you search Burkhardt's peony database for 'Surprise', you'll find two entries. One is a tree peony from Lemoine, which I take to be the one meant by the person who proposed adding 'Surprise' to the NGA database, and the other is a herbaceous peony from Barr. The former is also in the APS registry, while the latter is not. |
[ Ant Tree (Triplaris americana) | Posted on March 21, 2022 ] The common name, ant tree, refers to the mutually beneficial association between the tree and certain ant species. The tree's hollow trunk provides shelter for some types of Pseudomyrmex ants,while the ants provide protection from potential aggressors toward the tree by attacking them upon touch. |
[ Dahlia 'Suffolk Punch' | Posted on February 16, 2022 ] What's in a name? |
[ Dahlia 'Twyning's Smartie' | Posted on January 19, 2022 ] Dahlia World lists the flower form as single, but as can be seen in photos in the database, some doubling (extra rows of petals) can occur. Personally, I think 'novelty open' (NO) is a more accurate description of the flower form. |
[ Dahlia 'Purple Gem' | Posted on January 18, 2022 ] Disambiguation: |
[ Dahlia 'Bloomquist Tamara' | Posted on January 16, 2022 ] Flower form for Bloomquist Tamara. Dahlia World gives the form as fimbriated. [Bloomquist Tamara M.Fim. R. 2009 bloomquist USA ads12] |
[ Dahlia 'Mr Optimist' | Posted on January 11, 2022 ] The earliest blooms on the plants I saw at Dahlia Hill were not fully double, as they should have been for an 'informal decorative' designation. This caused me to doubt the plant label. However, blooms that were produced later in the same season did conform to the official description. I mention this as an aid to gardeners who might wonder whether they were sold the correct tubers when they see the first blooms on their plants. |
[ Dahlia 'Ebony Star' | Posted on January 10, 2022 ] Dahlias with flower forms, like Ebony Star, that are classed as novelty (NO or NX) typically aren't given size descriptors such as M, B, BB, etc. The blooms I've seen are about the size of a typical single form dahlia, i.e. about 4 inches across, somewhere between M and BB. |
[ Dahlia 'China Doll' | Posted on January 7, 2022 ] Disambiguation notice: The probable reason that two flower forms (single and waterlily) are listed for this cultivar is that, according to Dahlia World's list, there are two dahlias of this name. |
[ Anglojap Yew (Taxus 'Beanpole') | Posted on May 10, 2021 ] This cultivar belongs to the group of hybrids that are crosses between English yew (Taxus baccata) and Japanese yew (Taxus cuspidata) |