Very rare and often sold for $100 or more, 'First Arrival' is an Itoh Hybrid Peony, combining the best traits of garden and tree Peonies in one glorious package! More disease resistant than garden Peonies, it offers the shrubby habit and rich gold color of tree Peonies. Enormous, wonderfully fragrant blooms that last for many weeks (cut or on the plant) dominate the sunny garden, making this a treasure in any setting.
This plant looks like a Tree Peony, with a domed shape about 24 to 30 inches high and 2 to 3 feet wide. But it goes dormant as an herbaceous Peony does, dying back in autumn and reappearing in early spring. It will begin flowering the first or second year in your garden and will continue for decades — Peonies are the longest-lived perennials of all, a lifetime investment in the beauty of your landscape. And such blooms they are! Semi- to fully double, they are a rich lilac-infused pink with a strong, very sweet scent far superior to that of most other Peonies. The flowers are 6 to 8 inches wide and literally last for weeks. 'First Arrival' is exceptional even by Itoh standards — and those are the highest standards in the Peony family!
The Itoh Hybrids are intersectional crosses of herbaceous (garden) Peonies — P. lactiflora — and tree Peonies — P. lemoinei. They offer an increased color range, greater vigor, and excellent resistance to peony blight (botrytis paeoniae). Introduced by Toichi Itoh of Japan, they are very choice. 'First Arrival' is one of the creations of renowned American breeder Roger Anderson, introduced in 1997 and something of a holy grail to Peony lovers ever since. We have managed to accumulate enough stock to offer this prize at a very reasonable price, and we are delighted to think that it may be many gardeners' first introduction to the spectacular Itoh Peonies.
'First Arrival' tolerates heat, humidity, cold, and poor soil. Like all Peonies, it repels rabbits and deer, and it is very, very low maintenance once established in the garden. Find a place of honor for this special plant! Zones 4-8.
