PlantFiles: Intersectional Peony, Itoh Peony
Paeonia 'Bartzella'

near Seattle- Grows GREAT. Best Peony I have ever seen. Does NOT need to be staked as it does not flop even with heavy spring rain when in bloom. Tons of huge yellow flowers. I got mine from A&D Peony Nursery, Snohomish, WA. Near Flower World. They have been there forever. I went and picked out some, then they shipped them at proper planting time. Nice big healthy plants.

I bought one in the spring of 07 through Plant Delights Nursery. They sold them bareroot right after they bloomed. It wasn't the best time to dig up and ship a Peony. Its best in the fall for less stress. It was an impressive plant though and shrugged the stress off for the next season.

It was a very decent plant. Despite shipping in that time of year being barerooted, it has come back this year so huge and even with a flower bud. It grows interesting considering it is half tree peony.

I had to move the bartzella after planting it so it has been moved 2 times in a 3 year span, due to moving into a new house. I wasnt sure how it would handle it but after its move it still came back this year again to flower and even larger in size. It is very tough.

I would say that these peonies may easily become more common than the typical garden peonies, and may even be used in commercial landscapes because of thier superior benefits. After flowering the foliage is still pretty decent and has a nice texture.

This shrub, whether it is typical of Itohs or not, starts blooming about a week after tree peonies stop but continues flowering for weeks. They come in spurts so you dont have all flowers at one time.

*update June 2012* I don't understand the conditions I seem to battle in my yard or if its plants themselves sometimes but after dividing my Bartzella and replanting it a couple years ago the plant has failed to root very well. Powdery mildew completely covered every last inch of the plant this year, in full sun and on a southern slope, and left me with no flowers because of the mildew.

The idea puzzles me as we have very little rain since the plant broke dormancy earlier in spring. Add to this the fact that if it isn't watered 1x a week when 90 or over, it keeps wilting to the ground. In part shade on the side of my house the plant did overly well, on a sunny hill with open wind, mildew. I don't understand but the plant no longer has a use and had to be removed.