It's a dark red not purple. 1800's plant. It has a very nice shape so use it to fill in the cut flowers so the scent is not overpowering. Remember that some peonies have such a strong scent that after a time you can't smell anything because your nose becomes accustom to the scent.

One way to find fragrant peonies is to go to peonies.org and check out what the vendors say about the different types. Hollingsworth is good for that type of information. You can get a list of sites by just typing in fragrant peonies also.

Even though it stifles you buying this fall unless you find what you want. Check out the nurseries in Minnesota and call them to see if they have display gardens or open field that you could visit. A number of nurseries and growers of all types have open houses during the bloom times. Here it is during May. You probably have a later season than we have so bloom time could be late May, early June.

Carola:

Your other choice is to obtain a copy of "Peonies" by Jane Fearnley-Whittingstall. Obviously, you can find copies at your public library or through their inter-library loan system.

The book provides an excellent history, overview, and an good discussion of an extremely wide variety of different types of peonies with various lists - including those suitable for cut flowers, fragrance, etc.

Information from Amazon.com about this book:

"Jane Fearnley-Whittingstall's Peonies is a ravishing book--the sort of book that you covet from the moment you see it--but it isn't just lovely to look at, it is also a wonderful read. It tells the long and fascinating history of this most beautiful of flowers, tracing its origins in the wild to its cultivation in the Imperial gardens of China and Japan and its journey to the West. The characters encountered along the way include an empress who arranged for the planting of many thousands of tree peonies, yet murdered her baby daughter and in her 70s took two brothers half her age as lovers, and a French missionary who spent most of his life in China collecting over 1,500 species of peony, most of which were sent back to France. As befits its subject, the book is lavishly illustrated with paintings and photographs that are both informative and appealing.

But this is not just a wonderful story well told. It is also a serious work of reference giving comprehensive information on peony varieties, how to grow them, where to find them, and where to see them. It's written with the international reader in mind, so references include information relevant to the U.S., Australia, and New Zealand as well as Great Britain and Europe. --Stephanie Donaldson"

An Amazon.com customer gives the following review of this book:

"If you are a peony lover, you will treasure this book. Jane Fearnley-Whittingstall not only knows her peonies and traces their fascinating history through the imperial courts of China and Japan, but she interweaves this with a history of how peonies have been used in paintings and porcelain. The beautiful pictures included not only show the various peony cultivars, but show the peony as it is used in Asian porcelains, paintings and European paintings. This book and its photographs are so lovely, that I expected to pay much more for it. It's a bargain, if you are a peony lover. Al Rogers "Peonies" is a bit more explicit about growing and cultivation, but this book compliments his, because of the romance it brings to the peony. It is also practical, listing the cultivars, showing many pictures, and recommending the more successful cultivars. If you love peonies and want to know more about their place in history, I heartily recommend Jane Fearnley-Whittingstall's "Peonies." "

However, you may also choose to purchase this extraordinary book at various places. Two excellent sources of both new and used books are either

http://www.abe.com

or

http://www.alibris.com

Once in a while you may also find this book at either at

overstock

or

http:www.bookcloseouts.com

or

http://www.daedalusbooks

Sorry, I don't have a list for you, but I am embarking on the same type of search as you.

Hope you and others find this information more than useful!!!

Best regards!!!

Bill

Carola:

I've spent a little time looking through the book "Peonies" mentioned above and, unfortunately, didn't find it listed under either of its names "General MacMahon" or "MARECHAL MCMAHON".

Most of the online sources that I've discovered - using both names - didn't reference any fragrance.

I still believe that "Peonies" by Jane Fearnley Whittingstall is an excellent choice for your own personal library.

As for me, I believe that I've settled on two peony varieties to add to my garden this fall.

The first is Paeonia lactiflora 'Duchesse de Nemours'. You'll find a short discussion of it in Jane's book, but a more interesting discussion and picture of this beauty at the Kemper Center for Home Gardening located at the Missouri Botanical Garden.

Here a direct link to extensive information about this old beauty.

http://www.mobot.org/gardeninghelp/plantfinder/Plant.asp?code=Q260

Links to other peonies discussed at the Kemper Center of the Missouri Botanical Garden can be found at this link/

http://www.mobot.org/gardeninghelp/plantfinder/Common.asp?start=P&end=P

The other peony that I will add to my garden this fall is the known as the "Memorial Day" Peony. It's official name is Paeonia officinalis 'Rubra Plena'

My mother had this peony in her garden for decades and it usually bloomed close or around Memorial Day (central Illinois). She treasured it and often used it as a cut flower. Now my daughter, Heather, has this plant in her garden and thus a tradition lives on.

You will find more information on the "Memorial Day" Peony at this link:

http://www.hirts.com/cgi-local/catalog.cgi?cat=1,41,&item=3079

If you're interested in the Paeonia 'Duchesse de Nemours'. this firm (Hirts) has it as well. Here is a direct link to the Peony "Duchesse de Nemours".

http://www.hirts.com/cgi-local/catalog.cgi?cat=1,41,&item=3058

Their prices seem to be very nice as well, although I have never ordered from them.

Hope you find this research and discussion more than helpful.

Best wishes in your gardening endeavors!!!!!!!!

Bill

Carola:

I just found another name for General Mac Mahon; it appears that it also might be called "Augustin d'Hour" as they reference it in their tidbit of information. See the link below for reference.

http://www.peonygarden.com/GARDEN%20HERBACEOUS%20PEONIES/GENERAL%20MCMAHON-325.htm

Unfortunately, they do not make reference to any fragrance and provide - as usual - little of its history. I also checked the "Peonies" book under the "new" name and came up with nothing.

As to date and discovered to far, peonygarden.com appears to have the most extensive listing of peonies available; coupled with Jane's book - see above - and the Kemper Center at the Missouri Botanical Garden - again see above - you'll have several great resource for considering peonies to add to your garden.

Now they and Jane's book have tempted me with "Kelway's Glorius" as a possible rival candidate to the "Duchesse de Nemours". Fortunately, I haven't place an order as yet so some choices may be meandering around my head for a bit.

Hope this additional information is most helpful.

Best wishes in your gardening efforts.

Bill

It is generally listed as having no fragarance. Remember the most complete list of cultivars in the world is on www.paeo.de. Click on the letters in the lower left and you will find riches beyond your dreams. If you wish to learn more about peonies he has many books and publications in the library section that you can sit and read for hours.
A wonderful winters occupation on a stormy night.

Thank you both for all your research and responses I will look into this info soon. Sorry I didn't respond earlier but my PC crashed and it was hospitilized for 2 weeks for virus and spyware removal. I had Norton antivirus but I guess it wasn't good enough, spyware can also ruin computers. I am now going to protect to the max after having a $130 computer repair.

Carola:

Sorry to have changed my mind from the above peonies, but I am giving far more serious consideration to two (2) Philipe Rivoire and one (1) Florence Nichols. I'll probably add the P. Officinalis "Rubra Plena" next year - unless I get overly tempted this year.

Just thought you'd like to know. Sorry to hear about your computer. You might try "Spybot". Search for reviews on this and other spyware removal problems and come to your own conclusion as to which might be better for your computer. Which reminds, I've got to run "Spybot" soon.

Talk with you later,

Bill

Chinese traditionl peony maybe worthy trying.
You can easily find the flower scent information on the web of Beijing Yellow Peony or the Century Peony Nursery and so on.

The old book by Helen van Pelt Wilson and Leonie Bell "The Fragrant Year" listed Kelways Glorious as the most fragrant peony in their opinion. The also liked Mrs. FDR and Sarah Bernhard (as I remember). I have Phillipe Revoire and it is fragrant, but, unfortunately, it is not as good a grower as Sarah.

It seems to me that when I was a child, all the peonies smelled delicious, and people grew so many of them and cut them for the house. The modern trend in peony breeding, however, has been to put vigor and resistance to disease ahead of fragrance. In very recent rose breeding more attention has been paid to delicious fragrance, perhaps this will happen with peonies as well, since people really like them for that reason.

If you are still looking, this is an excellent website for peony information, including searching for fragrant peonies:

Here is a link that might be useful: Help Me Find.Com Peonies

WOW I had the spelling wrong on my "Duchesse de Nemours". I have had one for five years. I bought it barerooted at of all places, Walmart, about 5 years ago. I wrote the name of it in my garden journal as Duchess DeNamur by mistake.
It is indeed my prized peony, and it did bloom on EXACTLY Memorial day!! The fragrance is unbelievably pretty. I took a picture of it yesterday.

Here is a link that might be useful: