08786
Paeonia 'Helen Matthews'

type: [herbaceous peony] – [herbaceous hybrid]

HELEN MATTHEWS (Saunders-Krekler, 1953) - Semi-Double - Brilliant Red - Early - Hybrid. Medium height. The medium sized flower has several rows of exceptionally brilliant red guard petals with a center of yellow stamens, red filaments. The carpels are white-green with pink stigmas. It is of medium height with good stems and holds its cupped shape a long time. Parentage unknown. Named for Mr. Krekler's step-mother. Bulletin 130

Ken Clare:


Robert Johnson on y!groups #5468

Re: [peony] Favorites for 2001

Gang, As you may know, I grow mostly herbacious hybrids, so my "favorites" do not include many of the lactis. They, for some strange reason, do not seem
to do as well in my sand and frosts and desert climate.
The following were my favorites this year:
'Raspberry Charm' by S. Wissing.
This is still perhaps my top favorite. The flowers this year were almost double, although I primarily like the semi-doubles that this plant can throw. It is notable for blooming quite a bit ahead of other full-flowered peonies, lasts forever as a cut flower, has stems like a tree, and is long lasting on the bush as well. Always performs well for me, which is not the case for me with all my other peonies. It is the earliest of the peonies I grow that I really look forward to. Worth searching out. (Klehm, A+D?)

'Etched Salmon' by Lyman Cousins
Perhaps the best of the wonderful Cousins things, and perhaps the most attractive of ALL hybrid creamy pinks, in my humble opinion. When will this peony get the Gold Medal? It deserves it. Always expensive because frustrating crown structure makes for few divisions.


'Helen Mathews' bought from Saunders by Kreckler.
This is new for me. It used to show up on many "My Favorite 20 Peonies" lists (see '75years of APS') which is why I tried it. A very nice 5 row single(semi-double)brilliant red that I just loved. Perhaps hard to locate,(Caprice?) but really worth growing. Fairly early among the hybrids.

'Salmon Dream' David Reath

Absolutely wonderful plant habit, and a standout color-wise wherever we saw it blooming this season. Relatively new, and hard to locate because of high demand, but sure to become more common in the future.

Honorable Mentions:

'Coral Sunset' My favorite coral.

'Command Performance' Large, sturdy, and so far quite reliable among the big double hybrids, not all of which do well for me here. From Don Hollingsworth.

'Carnation Bouquet' Unique in form, parentage, and foliage, and quite early. Good early season interest.

'Camellia' Finally nice for me this year. Unique because of how VERY EARLY (despite what descriptions say) this is for any double, especially a white. Blooms with Roselette. Not the greatest foliage later in the season, however.

'Pink Derby' One lacti that does well for me here, but paradoxically may not do well for some others in more conventional growing areas. Appears on many "My Favorite Peonies" lists. Fairly expensive, apparently because of demand.
Bob J.

Entsminger 2007




Carsten Burkhardt's Web Project Paeonia - The Peony Database

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