Spring Sun

Spring Sun.  Hollingsworth.  2021.  Herbaceous hybrid.  Seedling number: Hollingsworth 3442. Parentage unknown (records misplaced), although the form and season of bloom suggest the legacy of ‘Sunny Boy’.  The fully DOUBLE flowers (two-stage double), normally borne one per stem, are typically heavy with petals, opening at the cusp of the Early and Early Midseason periods. Opening buds are a clear, bright yellow, the color becoming lighter in sunlight. Carpels 3-4 in number, white, normally small and distorted, but expected to be fertile when found with normal anatomy, as on immature plants. Stigmas have pale pinkish hues, the color bleeding down into the tops of carpels. Pollen-bearing stamens are found as a thin ring embedded among the petals, filaments reddish-purple at the base (25%) and light yellow to the top. New shoots upon emergence are bronze, maturing deep green. Upright self-supporting growth, 32-34 inches. Plants are vigorous, stems sturdy, well clothed with foliage. The increase rate is especially good. Both stems and leaflets tend to resist infestation by disfiguring pathogens, the plant’s appearance holding well through the season. Received both the Seedling Certificate of Merit and Best Seedling at the 2019 APS exhibition, Ames, Iowa.  Excellent disease resistance in comparison to other yellow cultivars.  In our opinion, this is the best double yellow-flowered peony available for its many fine attributes. Premium divisions ship from late September to mid-October.