Rejoice! An ITOH! A baby Bartzella! Now what do I do?!?

I was in Lowes' the other day looking for peat pots, and what did I find? A Bartzella ITOH peony for a very reasonable price!!!!! I have had my eye on that peony for several years, but the prices ($90 or so) have always scared me away.

This peony is in a closed box, surrounded by peatmoss. It has 3 or 4 healthy new shoots about 4" tall with baby red leaves starting. Here is my dilemma: I live in MA. We are presently having quite a snowstorm. I have put the box in the basement next to the stairs to the bulkhead door, so it will stay cool. Should I pot it up now & keep it in a cool, sunny location? Should I let it stay in the box? I don't imagine I will be able to plant it for at least a month. Any advice?

 

I would pot it up if you have a really sunny but cool place to put it. You really don't want it growing yet. If it has a few shoots and you can keep it where it is cold, but not frosty or freezing it should be okay. That peat tends to dry out and dehydrate the root stock so you want too avoid that.

 

Cayuga, my ignorance is boundless--please, what is ITOH?
For what it's worth, I agree with Carolyn. Potted up in potting soil and put in a cool place will keep the peony crown from drying out, or from trying to grow very much.
We are looking forward to seeing that lovely's picture when it blooms!

 

Hi MG,

I think Itoh is the breeder's last name. Itoh developed the first intersectional peony, a cross between a tree peony and a herbaceous peony. They have been the rage of the peony market of late, and I hae been lusting after 'Bartzella' in particular. They are supposed to combine the hardiness of herbaceous peonies with the flower size & color options of the tree peonies.

Thanks for your help, and yours too Carolyn. I will do as you suggest. I have a south facing room that I can close off from heat & hope for the best. And yes, I will certainly post a picture when it blooms. I am guessing though that it won't be for a few years...

 

Your dilemma is the same reason I put my bulb purchases from Christmas Tree Shops yesterday in the refrigerator, to delay the plant from thinking it was spring. The plant is awake and might start looking for nutrients. A cool place sounds good. I would keep it as cool as possible without freezing and if it keeps growing pot it up. I have never planted with a snow shovel before, cool is good.

Jerry

 

GREAT JOB!!! :-D I am jealous because I'd give my eye tooth for a yellow peony! don't you just love it when you come across something so cool?

 

Hi SM,

Yes!! I hope it is as lovely as the photos show it to be. I couldn't believe it when I saw it at Lowes, of all places.

Jerry---Hmm....I think I will try the fridge, but just be careful to not let the peony get dried out. Hope you scored a deal too at X-mas Tree shop.

 

The original cross breeding was done in 1948 by a Tokyo nurseryman Toichi Itoh. One of the approximate 20,000 crosses done by this extraordinary breeder he died in 1956 before ever seeing one bloom. When I was in Lowe's the other day I should have looked harder. :-(

Jerry

 

Jerry--Thanks for the info. Wow. I wish Itoh had lived to see the blooms.

FYI, I found the Itoh's in the Lowes in Leominster, on Rt 12. There were one or two more Bartzella's and a couple of other kinds too. I paid $30 for mine, which is a great price.

 

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Bartzella...isn't she gorgeous? ( photo / image / picture from Cayuga Morning's Garden )






Here she is, out of fridge storage & in the ground today ( photo / image / picture from Cayuga Morning's Garden )

 

Well done spotting that beautiful bargain,..the shoots look healthy though its a shame about the weather not being quite right,..to say the least,..hoping it thrives and produces a bloom as nice as that depicted.

 

Thanks Philip. I am keeping an eye on it. The thing that worried me is that the plant hardly had any roots. The shoots emerged from a solid clump of something, with no roots coming out. ??? I am just keeping watch on it and watering it when needed.

 

Hi all,

I am reviving this very old post. My best friend, Bartella bloomed this spring! The plant has been flourishing since planting back in 2013.....and this year rewarded me with 1st first bloom. (Yes, that sentence was singular. One bloom. But, hey.)

 

Hey that is wonderful. to celebrate I will set off a few fireworks this weekend for you... keep watching.