Paeonia × 'Julia Rose' – Itoh Peony
'Julia Rose' is a mid-to-late-season Itoh (intersectional) peony grown above all for its colour-shifting flowers: cherry-red buds open through apricot, peach and orange (each edged with a flush of purple) before fading to soft yellow, so a single plant often carries three differently coloured blooms at once. The large, semi-double to double flowers reach up to 20 cm across and carry a warm, spicy fragrance over a long bloom period.
Sturdy stems hold the blooms without staking, well clear of glossy, deeply divided dark green foliage that stays tidy through summer before dying back in autumn. It forms a compact, rounded bush around 70 cm tall, takes full sun to part shade in rich, free-draining soil, and shrugs off the diseases that trouble herbaceous peonies. Cut in bud, the blooms last well over a week in the vase.
Bred by the celebrated American hybridiser Roger Anderson (also behind the landmark yellow Itoh 'Bartzella') 'Julia Rose' remains one of the most sought-after intersectional peonies.
A long-lived, low-maintenance showpiece whose every bloom changes colour as it ages.
- Flower form: Semi-double to double, up to 20 cm
- Colour: Cherry-red ageing through apricot and peach to yellow, purple-flushed
- Mature height: 70 cm
- Bloom season: Mid to late (late spring–early summer)
- Light needs: Full sun to part shade
- Frost tolerance: Hardy
