Herbaceous Peony 'Henry Bockstoce'
Henry Bockstoce was the father of William Sheraden Bockstoce the son who bred this
lovely large double red peony in 1955 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA and named
this after his father.
This variety is a hybrid cross between Paeonia officinalis x P. lactiflora.
The massive large double blooms open during mid season on thick stems that tilt with the
weight as blooms develop so some support is required to display these very large full
double blooms. The huge rich cardinal red flowers darken with age and carry little scent,
but I find this not important as the wow factor does it for me.
William Sheraden Bockstoce was born in 1876 and named after his grandfather
William Sheraden a farmer who settled on a 122-acre farm in 1856 in Pittsburgh,
which today is known as the borough of Sheraden. His grandfather died in 1901 and
the farmhouse at 2803 Bergman Street later became the home of William Sheraden
Bockstoce and his wife Jean. William was the son of Henry and Margaret Bockstoce
who had became well known in Horticulture as an expert in peony growing. He lived
in the house up until his death. In 1963. William was a builder and constructed houses
around the area of Sheraden and in his spare time later in life turned to breeding new
cultivars of Peony.
A very impressive Sycamore tree at the front of his house stands today showing his
horticultural talents, where he grafted two trees each side of the front gate together a
few meters high off the ground using a clay pipe graft method which you can see in
Bergman street.
