Swenson Gardens
We are pleased to announce that our new intersectional hybrid (Itoh hybrid) and herbaceous peonies are now available. In 2013, we purchased Roger F. Anderson’s last generation of seedlings and are excited to share the results of his 45+ years of hybridizing with you. Roger is known around the world for his intersectionals and herbaceous peony originations and you will not find these one-of-a-kind varieties anywhere else!
Lake Minnetonka, named mni tanka by the Dakota Sioux, lies just west of Minneapolis and has great spiritual and historic significance to Minnesotans. This is where early winter-hardy apples were developed, maple syrup is harvested, and vacation hotels and streetcar boats flourished. The lake is made up of many bays, has 125 miles of shoreline, and the community of Minnetonka is home to many state leaders, celebrities, and artists. We honor its horticultural and artistic heritage with three new varieties.
24” tall, 42” wide, single, mid
Minnetonka is filled with natural beauty and remarkable private gardens. Our new “berry” has raspberry blooms with delicately crinkled petals, buttery yellow stamens, and spectacular foliage.
30” tall, 48” wide, semi-double, mid
Sunsets on Lake Minnetonka are best viewed from a boat and evoked in the garden. Exquisite peach and apricot petals around delicate, wispy stamens. Splendid foliage.
30” tall, 48” wide, semi-double, mid
Post-Civil War, elegant hotels on Lake Minnetonka filled their lobbies with the perfume of blooms like our light-hearted pink petals with reddish flares and pale yellow stamens. Wonderful foliage.
26” tall, 40” wide, bomb, early to mid
Absolutely, positively fire engine red! Densely packed bomb of such a clear, definite red that is fairly pops against its well-formed foliage.
36” tall, 54” wide, single, mid
Broad-leaved, intriguing foliage is dramatic in its own right. Add soft apricot and pink candy petals and the impact is spectacular.
26” tall, 38” wide, semi-double, early to mid
Mulberries are a bit too blue, pomegranates a bit too red. It’s a fresh-picked plum that these densely packed petals resemble, fresh as fruit salad against its crisp greens.
30” tall, 40” wide, single, mid
Like the interplay of light in a spring sunrise, the top and underside of these petals try on shades of mauve, pink, and fuchsia to stunning effect.
34” tall, 50” wide, single to semi-double, mid
Purple color and glossy foliage unlike any other intersectional! If you saw me at Peony Field Days, here’s your chance to bring me home!
30” tall, 44” wide, semi-double, mid
This darkest semi-double red will not fade and is the first peony Roger Anderson has allowed to bear his name. A very special herbaceous hybrid seedling.
28” tall, 38” wide, single, mid
Glorious, long-legged blooms of velvety carmine-colored petals are held high above pretty foliage on very strong stems. A Roger Anderson hybrid.