The peony Julia Rose is perhaps unique in that an established plant is capable of displaying three colors of opened flowers at the same time, in addition to buds. It opens cherry red, and then changes to orange and later, yellow. Instead of orange and yellow, the color stages may sometimes be called rose, apricot and yellow, once past the cherry red stage. A very attractive and vigorous flower, it may display as a single or double bloom.

The peony Julia Rose is an interspecies plant, with limited availability, and is not inexpensive, but it will definitely appeal to those gardeners who desire something quite unusual. The plant originated in the nurseries of Roger Anderson in Fort Atkinson, Wisconsin. It is best to buy it from a peony specialty nursery if it cannot be obtained already potted.

An interspecies plant like the peony Julia Rose is usually an intersectional, a cross between an herbaceous peony and a tree peony. Much of this groundbreaking breeding work has been done by Itoh Nurseries in Japan, leading to the class often being called Itohs or Itoh-Hybrids. However, Toichi Itoh has not grown all peonies of this group, since growers elsewhere have shown intense interest in pursuing these avenues, often successfully.

Peony Julia Rose Has Recognized Companions

Breeding peony I-Hybrids is a tedious and very time-consuming process. While there are numerous successes now on record, people have dedicated many years out of their lives to this work, with just the promise of future recognition. It can take as long as six years for a new cultivar to bloom in a manner that will make it acceptable.