Pageant

‘Pageant’ cannot be easily confused with any other Saunders peony.  It blooms very early and the flowers have a very large boss of stamens (Silvia Saunders calls this a “large heart”).  The guard petals do not cover the stamens and they can easily be spoiled by a late frost or rain.

The petal color is a slightly blue-toned pink, causing H. F. du Pont to vanquish it to the cutting garden from the display gardens at Winterthur where he felt its coloration did not match the nearby azaleas.

Cultivar: Pageant
Year: 1941
Seedling No: 12388.
Parentage: 27B: F2 of ((officinalis Rosea Plena X 4992 (4992 = lactiflora X macrophylla)) 
Flower: Color: light pink (blue-toned)
Form: single, 8 petals, open flat form
Blooms: Week 3
Carpels: 2-3, grey, woolly
Stigmas: dark pink
Disc:

pale pink, if any (Silvia Saunders) white, edged pink, obscure

Stamens: filaments light yellow, many stamens
Plant: Habit: upright – spreading in 2021
Foliage color: dark green, shining
Foliage form: lower leaves entire (not lobed) but notched
Height: 48″ (reported); 34″ in 2021
Recommendation: Recommended
Availability: Several specialty nurseries