The World of the Peony (X)

Peony cultivation in the USA

Before the Chinese and Japanese peonies reached the USA, it was Paeonia officinalis that the settlers came across on their way west. Only then active crossing work started there. In the first half of the 20th century a great number of magnificent varieties were produced, which for the most part were still unknown in Europe. The focus of the American peony cultivation lay on the herbaceous peonies.

 Breeders

The following names of the many American breeders may suffice:

Prof. A. P. Saunders (1869-1953)

He may justly be called the greatest of all peony breeders. He taught chemistry at Hamilton College in Clinton, N.Y. In his spare time he performed innumerable crossings and obtained over 17'000 seedlings of which 320 were registered as named varieties. He began systematically to use the possibilities of hybridizing between the wild species and so achieved magnificent cultivars.

His greatest merit, however, is that he carried on the work of Victor Lemoine on a large scale. In the second half of his life he succeeded in combining the beauty of the Japanese tree peonies with the vigorous and fine-leaved forms of Paeonia lutea and Paeonia delavayi and in crossbreeding their bright yellow and mahogany red.

Paeonia 'Athena' (staudige Hybride) one of the numerous herbaceous of Prof. Saunders in an unsual picture. Foto: Heinz Klose

Paeonia 'Angelet' (Lutea hybrid) is one of the yellow blooming Lutea hybrids of Prof. Saunders. Foto: Friedrich Hertle

Nassos Daphnis, the painter and peony breeder from New York

Nassos Daphnis (*1914), a Greek immigrant, first trained to be a florist in New York; at the same time he taught himself to paint. In William Gratwick's nursery in Pavilion, N.Y., he has been crossing peonies for 50 years, carrying on Prof. Saunders'cultivating work. By means of backcrossing he has even succeeded in surpassing Prof. Saunders' crossings.

Nassos Daphnis, the second great tree peony breeder of the USA, named his creations after characters of Greek legends and after painters.

Nassos Daphnis, a successful American breeder of tree peonies, surrounded by peonies in Gratwick Nursery in Pavilion, N.Y., where he has been crossing tree peonies for over 50 years. Foto: Lee Gratwick

A painting from Nassos Daphnis at a house in New York City. Foto: Nassos Daphnis

A short summary of the breeding work of Nassos Daphnis

		Paeonia 'Argonaut' (Lutea-Hybride), an accidental seedling that till now not in commerce. Foto: Nassos Daphnis
		Paeonia 'Zephyrus' (Lutea-Hybride) is a very unsual tree peony. A real masterpeace of the greek-american peony breeder. Foto: Nassos Daphnis
		Paeonia 'Demetra' (Lutea-Hybride) has full double flowers. Its numerous petals are red edged. Foto: Nassos Daphnis
		Paeonia 'Gauguin' (Lutea-Hybride) is named after the famous French painter. The colours remember the painting of Gauguin. Foto: Nassos Daphnis

Back