Forever Franny

(Formerly #493)

DESCRIPTION:

I loved this seedling but wasn’t sure whether its flower form - a single - would appeal to a wider gardening audience.

Quite the opposite, “Forever Franny” turned out to be one of our most popular peonies on social media!

And really, there’s so much to love about this plant. The blooms combine salmon and light pink tones offset by beautiful gold stamens and maroon basal flares. The overall effect is ethereal.

The plant is exceptionally floriferous, very fragrant and a vigorous grower. Here in Zone 4 where so many tree peonies remain compact, Forever Franny gains some height - currently over 3’ tall in our garden.

Forever Franny tolerates strong winds, is very cold tolerant and easily produces pollen and seed. Please note, because the flowers are single, strong rain during peak bloom will severely damage the flowers.

SIGNIFICANCE OF THE NAME

“Forever Franny” is named after a reader’s mother - Frances Barney. Frances was born in upstate NY and lived through all the hard stuff but managed to thrive anyway. Frances survived polio, the Great Depression and the loss of her father when she was still young. She also went through WW2 and lost one of her brothers to the conflict.

Yet she forged a beautiful life starting a family and raising 3 daughters - 2 of whom are life-long gardeners.

This seedling is tough yet beautiful and delicate. What a fitting tribute to the equally tough and equally beautiful Frances Barney.

PLAN FOR INTRODUCTION

Our hope is to start propagating Forever Franny this year and offer it for sale in 2022 or 2023.