Since intersectionals that are on the market are mostly tissue grown some may mutate. Without the name of the peony it is hard to tell if it was over priced or not. Curious Some do come in a range of shade/colors. Singing in the Rain is one that you see having orangeish flowers but there are divisions from the same source plant that are yellow.

That is pretty much a standard price....maybe even a little on low end because of a location at box store. Itohs usually come as a well established plant, so assuming this was in a pretty good sized container.

IME, Itohs produced by a reputable grower do not change color. The color can be faded out due to sunlight, the plant tagged incorrectly (very common) or the photo of the flower on the plant tag an inaccurate representation. Colors are very hard to photograph true to life.

Some Itohs fade from opening to a different color before the petals fall, Singing in the Rain being a prime example. A mature plant can have blooms ranging from orangy pink to yellow at the same time. There have also been some pics of Itohs with "sports"--stems of what looks to be a different flower blooming on an established plant. I'm pretty sure some of those pics are here on this forum from either last year or the year before.

Bartzella is the most common yellow Itoh that is sold in the big box stores, could be yours. I say common but it's still very much sought after so a good one to find. And if it was in the standard (I think around 3 gallon?) pot that was a good price. You can find some varieties bareroot now for a decent price but most of the Monrovia potted Itohs sell from around $79-99, depending on the area and variety.

I paid between CA$66 and CA$95 for bare root and 3 gallon itoh peonies from a Canadian mail order nursery, so the price you paid sounds about right. Itoh peonies have a few advantages over regular peonies. They don’t need staking, don’t attract ants, have a longer blooming period and can put out more flowers. I think the investment will be worth it.

Commercial growers propagate itoh peonies via tissue culture, but you should be able to do root divisions just like you do with regular herbaceous peonies.

Thank you for your help! When I purchased this peony, it was in a large bucket and started blooming right after I brought it home. Wonderful, fragrant flowers!

You should post a pic of the blooms, msgenie! Mine are just starting to come up, only a few over 6" high right now....and only a few Itoh barely peeking through the mulch.

Yes, you can divide Itohs like herbaceous but the roots are generally more woody, I have a coping saw reserved for that purpose.

My Itohs cost $50-65 . Many of mine bloomed for over 20 days, with over 20 large blooms, well worth it!

Yes, they are beautiful. The one I got last year is coming up again and it looks like it's doing great. But since it was in a large pot and not in the ground until I planted it, I'm worried it may not bloom this year, since I read they don't take to transplanting very well. However, I really didn't disturb anything when I planted it, so I'm hoping for the best.

It should be ok. I had to move all of mine the year before last and keep them in pots 'till we sold our house. They were planted last summer and they all survived

As for ID -- I purchased a large Yumi at HD last year (aka Beauty), so your HD Itoh may be that as well. I posted a pic of it in another thread, if you want to compare.