Paeonia 'Cora Louise'

Paeonia 'Cora Louise': White Petals Splashed With Purple Flares

'Cora Louise' wears white with lavender-purple flares at the centre, like somebody dipped a paintbrush and showed restraint for once. Big, flat, lightly fragrant blooms on strong stems. QUIET LUXURY, LOUD COMPLIMENTS.

Plant Characteristics:

• Botanical Name: Paeonia (Itoh Group) 'Cora Louise'
• Common Name: Intersectional Peony, Itoh Peony
• Height: 60–70 cm (24–28 in)
• Spread: 90 cm (35 in)
• Flowers: Large, flat, semi-double to double, white with lavender-purple flares and a golden centre, lightly fragrant
• Bloom Time: Early to midsummer (June to July)
• Foliage: Dark green and deeply cut, tidy through the season
• Features: Strong stems, light fragrance

Where to Plant: It's a statement plant for a sunny border, a foundation bed or a spot beside the patio. It holds its flowers on strong stems and keeps a neat, shrubby mound after bloom.

Companion Plants: Verbena hastata 'Blue Spires' rises to 120 cm behind the peony with slim blue spikes from July to September. Rudbeckia 'Little Goldstar' adds golden daisies at 35 to 40 cm over the same months. Persicaria 'Dimity' carpets the front at 15 to 20 cm with pink flowers from June to September. Plant them all in full sun or part sun.

Plant Care: Plant it in a sunny spot with fertile, well-drained soil. Set the crown so the eyes sit about 2.5–5 cm (1–2 in) below the surface. Water regularly the first season, then only during long dry spells. It flowers best with at least six hours of sun, though it accepts a little afternoon shade. Itoh peonies have semi-woody stems, and next year's buds can form low on them. In late fall, cut the stems back but leave a few centimetres above the soil, and clear away the old leaves. Division is rarely needed. If you do it, wait several years and cut the crown in early fall with a sharp knife or spade.

History: Itoh peonies are named for Japanese nurseryman Toichi Itoh, who first crossed tree peonies with herbaceous peonies in the 1940s. 'Cora Louise' was bred by Roger Anderson of Wisconsin from a double white garden peony crossed with a tree peony hybrid, first bloomed in 1984 and was registered in 1986.

Final Thoughts: Sturdy, deer resistant and drought tolerant once settled. Plant it where you entertain. THE GUESTS WILL TALK ABOUT IT FOR WEEKS.