Winterthur

When H.F. du Pont and his wife visited the Saunders at Hamilton College, he spied this plant as a seedling in the Ribbon and asked for a plant.  Later, Louise Saunders wrote du Pont to ask his permission to name it ‘Winterthur’. It has a prominent place in my garden and I agree with du Pont and Silvia Saunders that it is a very handsome plant.

Cultivar: Winterthur
Year: 1952-1955
Seedling No: 16437.
Parentage: 4B: F2 of ‘Chalice’. ‘Chalice’ = lactiflora ‘Primavere’ X macrophylla
Flower: Color: opens very pale pink, fades to white,white on reverse
Form: single, 6 petals, cupped
Blooms: Week 4
Carpels: 2, greyish green
Stigmas: bright dark red
Disc: “small deep pink” (Silvia Saunders’ notes)
Stamens: filaments light yellow
Plant: Habit: rounded bush
Foliage color: medium green, shining
Foliage form: large leaves, not lobed
Height: 35″ in 2021
Recommendation: Highly recommended
Availability: Few specialty nurseries