Savage Splendor
This favorite peony has dramatic buds and flowers with a color patterning that is hard to describe. It is also one of the most upright of Saunders woody peonies as illustrated in the lower photo taken after fall cleanup. It should be part of everyone’s peony collection.
The colors on ‘Savage Splendor’ (and several other peonies) were much more intense than usual in 2022. I attribute this to a cold snap we had in May when nighttime temperatures went down to 28 (F). Even ‘Janice’ opened almost red instead of its usual peachy pink. Photo to the right taken in 2022.
| Cultivar: | Savage Splendor |
| Year: | 1950 |
| Seedling No: | unknown |
| Group: | Mystery |
| Flower: | Color: | creamy yellow with lilac pink veins and edges, dark plum flares |
| Form: | single | |
| Blooms: | Week 5 | |
| Carpels: | 4-6, green | |
| Stigmas: | rosy pink | |
| Sheath: | dark reddish purple | |
| Stamens: | filaments dark red, anthers naked – no pollen, and relatively sparse | |
| Plant: | Habit: | very upright |
| Foliage color: | medium green, some red in petioles | |
| Foliage form: | average width | |
| Height: | 51″ on 8 year plant | |
| Recommendation: | Highly recommended |
| Availability: | Most nurseries specializing in woody peonies |
