'Cora Louise' Peony Itoh

'Cora Louise' is an Itoh peony offering late spring to early summer interest. A prolific bloomer, producing up to 50 blossoms per mature bush, the plant sets large pure white semidouble flowers—8 to 10 inches wide—revealing a flushed lavender to purple eye and golden stamens. Borne on strong, erect stems that don't require staking, the sweet-scented, long-lasting flowers attract butterflies and hummingbirds and make excellent cuts for romantic floral bouquets. Peonies are an investment that can live for up to 100 years.

Paeonia Itoh 'Cora Louise' is a rare hybrid cross between a tree peony and an herbaceous peony. It has a compact, clumping, rounded habit of lush, deeply lobed, dark green foliage that is attractive until autumn. This peony fits almost anywhere and makes a beautiful specimen but is shown to best effect when grouped or massed in mixed beds and borders. It's a lovely back drop for spring bulbs and wonderful as a low hedge.

Adaptable, easy to grow, and low maintenance, Paeonia Itoh 'Cora Louise' prefers full sun to part shade and rich, fertile, medium moisture, well-drained soil in a location sheltered from strong winds. One of the best perennials for cold climates, peonies are cold hardy and require a prolonged winter chill to break dormancy and grow well. Deer and rabbit resistant.

Itoh peonies, also called intersectional peonies, are still quite rare. Itoh peonies are the result of a cross made between tree peonies (actually a shrub) and herbaceous peonies, exhibiting the best qualities of its parents. Prolific bloomers, Itoh peonies have the large, exotic, long-lasting blooms; refined leaf form; and sturdy stems of the tree peonies, but they die to the ground in winter like herbaceous peonies. The compact bush grows somewhat wider than tall, and its lush, dark green foliage lasts through the season, adding texture and color to the garden. Breeder Toichi Itoh began the difficult task of creating a hybrid in Japan in the 1940s, and as of today, only a few have made it to the market.