Old Faithful is worth its price not because of the red color but because it does not divide well. Plants that divide well and make many roots are generally cheaper. It takes longer in the field to make a division. Time = $$$

I am fairly new to peonies, having only grown a few more common varieties (from the big box stores), but have this page bookmarked.

The site has many wonderful pics.

Sue

Here is a link that might be useful: Midnight Sun at Nicholls Gardens

I cannot vouch for Old Faithful or Henry Bockstoce, as I do not grow them, but Red Charm is definitely the most red "red peony" that I have ever seen. To me it does bloom a true red. I would definitely recommend it!

Not only is Red Charm very red, but it has very stiff stems, and doesn't need staking. That's a major plus. Wonderful fragrance, also.

I am glad this thread was brought forward. I once again purchased Red Charm and must report that for me it is male Cardinal Red. The bright red during the breeding season. It has to be something in my soil because a friend has Red Charm from the same source and it is the normal red color.

All of us have killed some of our more expensive plants.

Postillion blooming now in my yard is a good clear red.

On browsing old posts on peonies, I come across this thread and find such a precise and wonderful descriptions of the various red peonies by mattdiclemente that I must bump this up. I grow all of his recommendations and I must agree that his descriptions of them are spot on. What a fun read!

This post was edited by kousa on Sat, Sep 27, 14 at 12:28

This one is interesting, Kousa. I'd never seen Red Charm or Old Faithful before visiting UofM peony garden last summer, ordered both for fall. I haven't gone back though and read old posts in quite a while, seems like it might be time again!

I think "Ruby slippers" and "America" are redder and more vivid than "red charm". "Red charm" is good, but the color is not as vivid.

I don't think I've seen either of those in person...

Neither have I but they sure look nice in photos. I am still partial to Alexander Woollcott as the most gorgeous true red. I wish it is a vigorous plant and multiply quickly but for the 2 years that I have grown it, it still gives me only 4 stems each season.

I wonder why nobody mentioned Diana Parks, Command Performance and Rosedale? They are nice ones, but is the color different somehow?

I don't know Alex because I don't have any of the ones that you mention. Though I have Diana Parks on order and should arrive soon. Hopefully, it will give me a flower next spring so that I can compare it to the rest of my reds. And I have too many reds already.

I just noticed that Diana Parks fades....

Any one grow Armani? It looks gorgeous in pictures.

It looks beautiful but I wonder if the vendor used an old cultivar and renamed it as Armani in order to sell. Alot of these commercial vendors do that. Armani is not in the Carsten peony database so I am not sure if it s a legit new variety.

Hi Karen,

how do you compare Philippe Rivoire to the mentioned peonies?

I can't be sure unless I grow them side by side, Alex. But I don't think Armani is PR. The form differs a liitle bit. Armani maybe Peter Brand or Edward Flynn? I don't grow enough dark reds to know for sure.

I meant to compare PR to Old Faithful, Red Charm, AW, etc. Is it truly red?

Oh sorry, I misread your question. No, PR is definitely not true red. It is more like Buckeye Belle, dark red with a black sheen. To my eye, AW and HB appear to be true red. I wish I can make my cameras take pics as my eyes see them. But I don't have a good cam for that. Here are some pics of the red I have for comparison in the order of true red:

AW (truest red)

Henry Bockstoce

Red Charm (like the cardinal color shade of red)

Mackinac Grand

Ellen Cowley (more like scarlet red)

So pretty, Karen!

Thanks Liz! If you have any other reds that I don't have please post them. I would love to see their flowers. Did you Old Faithful make it to bloom last year? Would love to see that!

Nice pictures for sure! Thinking about ordering AW and HB next year . I've seen RC in person and it certainly not true red, but beautiful anyway. Thinking about Rosedale - would like a dwarf or two.

I forgot to add that the red double fernleaf is pretty close to a true red too.

In case anyone is interested, Armani is on sale at Wayside for $11.97. At this price, I may as well add it to my garden to see if it is a new variety.

Wonderful peony pictures----Here is my two cents worth on true reds, I consider a red to be true if it has no hint of blue in it at all. That said weather conditions and amount of light can affect peony colour, as well as each persons definition of red.

I have 90 different peonies and only a handful I consider to be red ( not a deep black red, or magenta) and Red Charm, in my garden, is the most true red. Red Grace is the next best red, as are In The Mood and Red Red Rose.

Armani is pretty but what you said KarenPA about it not being on Carsten's website is interesting his list is extensive so it should be there. I googled it and another interesting thing is that it has no history, usually a breeder of a variety is listed as well as the date of introduction especially if it is marketed. I have 4 peonies I bred that bloomed for the first time this year and I can tell you I certainly would be proud if any of mine made it to market. It looks like Mons Martin Cahuzac or Peter Brandt

Maybe if you get it you could post some pictures when it blooms.

ubro, I hope you can forgive my ignorance by this but I am very surprised that peonies can survive your zone 2a winter. Do you protect them in anyway?

nope, not a thing, no mulch, no cover, nothing. They survive our - 40F and colder winters and come thru with absolutely no damage. Even if there is not much snow cover they are fine. That is one of the reasons I think we should grow more of them up here. They varieties of blooms are vast, and they are so beautiful that sometimes they take my breath away. But I guess it is like the old saying " we alway want what we can't have " and up here we can have peonies.

I even have 4 itohs in my collection.

I like the way Armani looks in photos. Does anyone know yet if it was formerly named something else before being sold as Armani or if it has fragrance???

Yes it is a renamed plant however there is confliction as to which plant was renamed. I do not remember the three that were under discussion as to original name. It could also be that a company just sold several plants under the same name. Lizbest may remember what the names were.

Previously named Highlight. Sounds like it is not a true lactiflora. Stolen from Henry C. on another site. " Highlight for a long time was only available from Wild's. It's petals do wilt and blacken in hot open sunshine and it stamens become exposed half way through the blooming cycle. Yet it is one of the best double dark, dark reds along with a more variable performer down here in Arkansas, Matilda Lewis. Listed as a Lactiflora, and consistent with that species in flower form, bloom time, and root formation, it is adventitious and may form plantlets a few years after it has been dug from root ends that remained in situ. These plantlets may appear a fair piece from the original site, forming eyes not at the wound but farther down toward the root tip." So be aware that if you plant it you may find new plants coming up in the same area for a long time similar to some of the corals. Also you should not plant in full sun.

Should be interesting. I purchased Highlight from Breck's and Armani from Monrovia. I will compare in the future.

Please let us all know how the comparison of Highlight and Armani turns out. Thanks!

Any update on the Armani vs Highlight “controversy?”

My Armani did not bloom this spring. I can tell you the two plants have very different plant habitus. The stems and leaves are different. I did order a Black Beauty Peony from K VanBourgien and the plant habitus is almost identical to Highlight.

Thank you! I’ll probably chime in again next year for another update! Hope you get a bloom!

I planted a 'Red Charm' last season and it bloomed one flower. I think my phone camera makes it look darker than it was and maybe first year affected color.

This year the plant's showing 5 buds (?), so we'll see what it looks like in time. IF the 28d forecasted for next week shows up. Things started early around here with a warm April and we're still not past 'Last Frost'.

My Armani, photo from 2 yrs ago. Will post this years when it blooms.

Armani this morning! Kirinmaru should bloom soon.

Nothing beats a mature clump of Henry Bockstoce (edges are not white, that is sunlight)

Beautiful—love the Armani! Bockstoce is on my list too.

Does the Armani fade?

Armani only fades at the end, right now still very red.

My PaeoniaLactiflora x PaeoniaOfficinalis (I think) got it's first of the season bloom.

It is a lot more red than I remember from last year.

5 more buds starting to unfurl. :-)

Beautiful Bill!

Really people stop buying peonies from places like Breck’snanf Kevan Borgendeins!, you ra

Sorry rarely get a named variety…..lucky if you get the same color. Buy from reputable peony specialists like Adelmans, Solaris Farms, Hollingsworth Peonies or Swenson and others. Sure they cost more but the roots are SO much better and there’s recourse if there’s a mix up.