This is a side shot of Brightness, don't remember any white on it before.....

And this is head on of the same peony....

Whatever it is, it is very special. I have never seen a peony with the cream color on the underside. It has a nice effect. Maybe that is why it is called Sugar n Spice. They said as the peony root matures, the flowers become more like what they should be and the color variations of this peony reflect that?

That's just it--known varieties that have no white or cream in them seem to be mixed this year. The pic above is Brightness--normally an absolutely pure red. All of the coral peonies are lighter this year with streaks of white on the buds, again not normal. The peony that I was trying to ID that had the extremely mixed bud has been in that same spot for at least 5 years and bloomed from the first year. I never took photos before so can't say absolutely sure but I hope I would've noticed dramatic bud colors like that one. I guess I'll just have to wait until next year and see if the crazy colors repeat.