I never thought anything would replace allium as the showiest flower in my May-into-June garden. But the Itoh peony ‘Bartzella’ has finally gotten mature enough to bloom like crazy, and it’s definitely the star right now. Each exquisite blossom must be 5-6 inches across, with feathery anthers and subtle gradations of color on its petals as if it’s had the priciest of highlighting jobs. No dull, flat, uniform color for this beauty.

In this new little garden in Langley I didn’t have room to grow the yellow tree peony Lutea that I’d loved in my old garden. So I subbed in the smaller, sturdier yellow Itoh version, with lovely, divided foliage and these intensely ruffled, softly fragrant, butter-colored flowers.

Itoh peonies are a cross between the herbaceous garden peonies that die down in the winter, and tree peonies which are imposing woody plants that take up more room than…

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