This peony is our best introduction so far. It is the result from the cross Old Faithful x Kathy’s Touch. We consider it ‘perfect’ as a garden plant. The stems stand perfectly upright and are clothed in dark green healthy leaflets. The flowers are very large, consisting of numerous petals that are remarkably wavy and hereby give the impression of a very double flower. They always open well and do not burn in full sun. It flowers rather late in the season for a hybrid.
We are still unsure whether it is also an exceptional cut flower due to the fact that it is only of medium height.
APS Registration: Christine Carrette (Hurtekant Koen/2024). Herbaceous Hybrid. Parentage: ‘Old Faithful’ x ‘Kathy’s Touch’. Seedling number (OFxKT)001 Magenta. First bloomed 2020, first propagated 2020. Mid-Late season blooming DOUBLE flowers are magenta, 20 cm (8”) in diameter, upward facing, and average one per stem. Guard petals are rounded, ruffled, twisted, notched. Slight fragrance is agreeable. On average, flowers possess three tomentose carpels that are pale-green in color with white hairs, and white stigmas of normal anatomy. Stamens are between 1.5-2 cm (0.5-0.75”) in length with white filaments, and few in number. Produces both pollen and seeds. Disk is obscure. Plants carry broad-pointed, dark-green, healthy foliage that is also green at the time of emergence – leaflets are displayed to the ground. Plants reach 80 cm (31”) in height at maturity. Growth habit is narrow-upright; mechanical support is unnecessary. The stems are extremely sturdy, withstanding all adverse weather conditions. Petals of the buds are well-closed, unlike both of its parent plants. Only grows taller after several years, much like ‘Old Faithful’. Symmetrically formed large flowers open wide at first (always opening well), then go on to grow upwards culminating in the shape of a ball. The petals are quite wavy, giving the appearance of a very double flower, despite the number of petals being only average. The color holds well over time, and flowers do not burn in harsh sunlight. Rather late blooming for a hybrid, about the same time as ‘Old Faithful’. Propagation is also similar to ‘Old Faithful’, that is, slow of rate but producing large, healthy divisions. Named for the hybridizer’s mother.
