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theoriginalannebert

Prices for intersectional peonies

annebert
14 years ago

I just bought a reasonable sized Bartzella (potted, my guess is it's about a 4 eye, but I haven't taken it out of the pot yet) from a local nursery for $30. Since they were selling these in the spring for $100, I assumed there had been some recent propagation breakthrough.

However, when I checked online it looks like most places are still selling these for $100+ (White Flower Farm- $245 for a 2-3 eye!!) Am I missing something here, or should I rush back and buy 1 of everything they've got?? The selection is a dozen cultivars, at least.

Comments (7)

  • minotpeonies
    14 years ago

    I payed $100 from Adelman's this fall and got 8-9 eyes it was very generous!I have seen Solaris Farms at $85 and I'm sure they are nice plants.Thats a pretty good buy at $30 What other Itoh's were avaliabe?I prbably would pick up some more even at 3-4 eyes.

  • maifleur01
    14 years ago

    Micro-culture proporgation is the reason for the lower cost seen for some of the intersectionals. Advertising and desire is one of the reasons they have stayed higher in price for divisions. Many intersectionals need to be divided every three years or they become almost impossible to find nice divisions.

    There are now several sources that take small pieces of the plant and grow in a test tube situation until it starts to from roots. It is then potted up, allowed to grow, then sold to nurseries. They are no different than the divisions just some people like the lower cost and are not concerned that they originally grew in a test tube. With the lack of space to grow plants and the push for housing you will see more and more of this. It has been done to several plants for years. Not much different from cutting an african violet leaf in pieces and having it root.

  • annebert
    Original Author
    14 years ago

    Thanks for the input. I pulled the Bartzella out of the pot, counted 7 eyes, and figured it was a pretty good deal. So I went back and got a Hillary. These were in 3liter (almost a gallon) pots, and the roots were a little twisty, but still a good deal, I think.

    They also had First Impression, Going Bananas, Juliana (I think that was the name), Singing in the Rain, that lavender one whose name I can't remember, and maybe 1 or 2 more.

    Since I am getting 50 herbaceous roots delivered this week from Klehm's (I grow cut flowers), I had to draw the line, unless they cut the prices more.

  • minotpeonies
    14 years ago

    I just planted 42 herbaceous and 6 Tree Peonies some Itoh's (Bartzella,Old Rose Dandy and Border Charm).Also have 150 seedlings growing in my basement.Plan on hybirdizing Herbaceous peonies and tree peonies.I saw Hillary Itoh for $150 on line and Going Bananas for $80

  • intersectionalpeony
    14 years ago

    Annabert, If its allowed can you state which nursery had the intersectionals for $30. I have all 4 each of the ones you state, but at that price I would buy more.
    It sounds like they had Bartzella, Julia Rose, First Arrival, Singing-In-The-Rain, Going Bananas, Hillary and the lavender one was most likely Morning Lilac. If they were in 1 gallon pots, they likely are not from tissue culture.

  • maifleur01
    14 years ago

    David, email Eleanor Tichner for information on the nursery she purchases from. You can email care of the MidAtlantic Peony Society. There is a local nursery in the Philadelphia area that sells these for about this price.

    They are from tissue culture. Eleanor caused a minor up roar at the APS meeting by bring several of the tissue culture plants for the auction. Most do not want to admit that tissue culture is here but at least for the people willing to try things it provides a reasonable product at a cost that many can afford.

    It has been just a matter of time that the intersectional growers would have to bring their prices down since intersectionals multiply so fast that only by artificially keeping the prices up have the producers been able to create the type of market that is currently out there.

  • peonyman
    14 years ago

    It does seem strange that the price of intersectional peonies has stayed so high. The intersectionals have such hybrid vigor that I find they need to be divided every two years; otherwise they are so unruly they become difficult to divide. A person starting with one plant could easily end up with 100 plants in as little as 6-8 years. It seems that most will divide out 4-5 plants every two years. The demand for intersectionals has been overwhelming but these types of numbers can satisfy a lot of that demand in a few years.

    Some herbaceous hybrids do about as well in increasing stock.

    Leon

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