I have not grow either but I do collect A.P Saunders and have been meaning to get Ludovica you can read information on both at Carsten Burkhard's web project Paeonia great website.

Carsten's is always the first place I go to look for information. By now you have probably found out that Ludovica is a short pinkish bloom and Butch is a tall red. I have seen Butch in Don Hollingsworth's fields and there it has straight very masculine stems. Seems like there were fewer stems to each plant but you can see it across the field. I don't remember seeing Ludovica so no personal comment.

Thanks for the info. After I posted this question here, I read somewhere that Ludovica doesn't take hot summer sun very well. That would tend to eliminate it in my southwest facing border. Butch sounds like a fine plant. Maifleur, your comments that "it has straight very masculine stems" and "it can be seen across the field" makes Butch sound like a very good choice.

I find it SOOOOO hard to decide between plants. May Merrysunshine, a red fernleaf found at Hollingsworth, sounds like a fine plant for my perennial border and am strongly considering that one too. I haven't found any criticisms of it so far.

I may resort to writing all the red peony names I like on small bits of paper, putting them in a hat, and blindfolded, reaching in and picking one! Sigh . . . Thanks for the input.