New This Season: Garden Candy® Itoh Peonies
What Is an Itoh Peony?
If you’ve ever wished peonies could bloom longer, stand taller, and shrug off bad weather, you’re going to love Itoh peonies.
Itoh peonies—also called intersectional peonies—are a remarkable hybrid created by crossing traditional herbaceous peonies with tree peonies. The name Itoh is a nod to the man who first successfully made the cross, Mr. Itoh of Japan. The result is the best of both worlds: plants that die back to the ground each winter like herbaceous peonies, but produce the large, exotic blooms, strong stems, and lush foliage of tree peonies.
Itohs are known for:
Extra-strong stems that never need staking
Huge, show-stopping flowers with vibrant, often unusual colors
A longer bloom window, with multiple buds per plant
Excellent garden performance, even in challenging weather
Disease-resistant foliage that looks great long after bloom season
For gardeners, that means fewer frustrations and more wow-factor year after year. Itoh peonies are tough, dependable, and only get better with age.
Introducing the Garden Candy® Itoh Peony Collection
We’re thrilled to announce that Garden Candy® Itoh Peonies are now available at Hidden Springs Peony Farm—and they truly live up to their sweet name.
Developed by retired atmospheric researcher, Don Smith, the Garden Candy Collection is known for its bold colors, prolific blooms, and exceptional garden reliability. These varieties were bred with home gardeners in mind, offering eye-catching flowers without demanding extra care. Each has been given a name that celebrates all things sweet, including three of Smith’s granddaughters.
What we love most about Garden Candy® Itohs:
Bright, saturated colors that pop in the landscape
Heavy bud counts, giving you weeks of bloom instead of days
Compact, well-shaped plants perfect for modern gardens
Strong performance in northern climates, including right here in Minnesota
Whether you’re adding a statement plant to a perennial border or building a peony collection that spans the entire bloom season, Garden Candy® Itohs deliver color, structure, and longevity you can count on.
These peonies are a long-term investment—once planted, they’ll reward you for decades with dependable blooms and beautiful foliage.
Garden Candy® Itoh Peonies are available now, in limited quantities.
All nine varieties we carry are sold as #2 divisions, which are much larger than the #1 division you will find elsewhere. These are not only larger, but are also more likely to bloom in their first year after planting. All bare root peonies, including this collection, are shipped in fall at the ideal time for planting.
If you’re ready to add something truly special to your garden, this might just be the sweetest peony you’ll ever grow.
