Teddi’s Gift

(Formerly #251)

DESCRIPTION:

The perfect mix of color, form fragrance and habit, Teddi’s Gift sports loosely formed double (and sometimes semi-double) blooms upright on an attractively formed tree.

Flowers are a lilac that, to my eye, has more blue and less pink than shown in the below photographs. Typical of Tree Peonies with Rockii heritage, the blooms sport deep purple flares at the base of each petal.

Teddi’s gift is fragrant, blooms freely and produces both pollen and seed. This seedling is an early bloomer with exceptional cold tolerance.

Even in unusually wet year, this plants shows great disease resistance.

SIGNIFICANCE OF THE NAME

Teddi’s Gift is named after Teddi Knapp - an upstate NY artist who revived the Chalkware tradition - a colonial-era molding process also known as “poor man’s porcelain.”

Because of her skill, Teddi Knapp was registered with New York State Department of Historical Preservation. Teddi specialized in chalkware snowmen and sold them all over the world.

Unfortunately, Teddi passed away suddenly about 5 years ago. She appreciated the beauty in everything and always saw gifts in each person she met.

By naming this puffy snowball of a peony after Teddi we honor her life and the joy her artwork brought to sao many.

PLAN FOR INTRODUCTION

We intend to offer own-root divisions of Teddi’s Gift in the July 2021 catalog. We

Divisions will be 1-year old and will not have nurse roots.