It is rare to have the opportunity to grow a piece of horticultural history, and we are delighted to be able to offer 'Yellow Crown,' one of the original Itoh Hybrids that changed the face of peony growing forever when they were introduced in the late 1960's. 'Yellow Crown' is wonderfully fragrant, semi-double, and robust, displaying its Tree Peony heritage in its unbelievable color, as well as in its garden vigor and improved resistance to Peony Blight. This is a legacy plant to be enjoyed for generations, and we highly recommend it for your garden.
Along with 'Yellow Dream,' 'Yellow Emperor,' and 'Yellow Heaven,' 'Yellow Crown' was rescued from obscurity and introduced to the world by American breeder Louis Smirnow. These 4 revolutionary crosses of P. lactiflora x P. lemonei had been made by the renowned Japanese breeder Itoh many years previously, but upon Itoh's death, had been forgotten. The world had never seen such peonies: they had the large, fully double, fragrant blooms of the herbaceous species coupled with the increased vigor, wider color range, and longer bloomtime of tree peonies. 'Yellow Crown' is our favorite, with its bright red flares hidden deep within the many-layered, bowl-shaped semi-double blooms of brilliant deep yellow to gold. There's simply nothing like it!
'Yellow Crown' reaches 2 to 4 feet high and wide, a determined garden performer that needs almost no maintenance to grow and flower for many decades. The blooms open in late spring and early summer (midseason for the peony garden), very abundant and super long-lasting on the plant or in the vase. Peonies are among the finest of all cutflowers, often described as resembling roses but without all the work and lasting twice as long! 'Yellow Crown' is a happy companion to roses, but we can honestly say that it outshines them in its tolerance of heat, humidity, cold, drought, and poor soil; its lack of appeal to deer and rabbits; and its great ability to bounce back after rough weather. You will find it an amazing presence in the sunny to lightly shaded garden, now and for decades to come. Zones 3-8.
