Peony Hybridizers: Bredikhin Aleksej

Aleksej Bredikhin

Country:

Russia, Voronezh

Short biography:

My name is Alexey Bredikhin. I’m 54 years old. I live in Voronezh, Russia. I’m single.
I’ve been passionate about plants since childhood. I’m currently breeding water lilies, ornamental conifers, and, of course, peonies. I work as a landscape designer.

My garden is over 25 years old, but it continues to mature, change, and get used to me. This isn’t easy, because sometimes I demand the impossible—that’s just my personality…
At 23, when the opportunity to buy a plot of land arose, I took the first one I could afford without a second thought. It was a former potato field, donated by the collective farm to a gardening community due to consistent crop failures. Although the Voronezh region is famous for its black soil, the left bank of the Don, where my plot is located, consists primarily of sand and sandy loam. Over time, it became clear that the plot is located in a lowland, attracting all the cold and recurrent frosts like a magnet.
At first, many plants categorically refused to grow on the sun-baked sand, so I had to think about creating some shade—and I really wanted to sit in a shady spot myself. Five years later, the garden’s concept changed: I began planting deciduous and coniferous trees for shade and created several ponds for my favorite aquatic plants. The garden’s microclimate changed, and I could now afford a collection of winter-hardy Gesneriads and orchids. Even the most moisture-loving and fussy plants now have a cozy spot.
Today, the garden’s main focus is on peonies (especially species), aquatic plants, as well as winter-hardy cacti and succulents—a trend that remains unexplored and requires popularization. Most Russian gardeners still find it hard to comprehend that these exotic-looking plants overwinter beautifully in temperate climates, often better than roses.
Every year, the collections are expanded, which requires me to maintain contacts with Russian and international colleagues. Over the past 15 years, I have become interested in breeding and will soon be introducing my own new varieties and hybrids of peonies, winter-hardy cacti, and Siberian squills.

More information:

https://vk.com/id29456627

Peony hybridizers series

How did you first get involved in peony hybridizing?

I’ve been breeding peonies since 2010.

What was your starting material for your hybridizing?

I have a very large collection of species peonies. I began my first crosses with them. I still use wild species in my breeding; I believe they can achieve greater potential, especially when combined with modern hybrids.

What are your goals in hybridizing peonies?

Russia has a huge variety of species. I especially enjoy working with selections of Paeonia tenuifolia. I have selections in all shades of red, orange, pink, pure white, as well as forms with anemone-shaped flowers. I believe each shade deserves its own double-flowered form. I’m working on that.

I’ve also developed variegated plants of Paeonia lactiflora. It would be interesting to further develop varieties with interesting flowers and variegated foliage. That’s also a goal I’m working on.

Do you mostly depend on open pollination or do you mostly make controlled crosses? 

Can you describe a few of your plants that you consider the best or most beautiful and which are available now?

Фотон (Photon) (Bredikhin, 2023) Intersectional backcross (Bartzella x Lemon Chiffon). The flowers are cup-shaped, three rows of petals, and may become double with age. 16-17 cm in diameter. The petals are bright yellow with a lime tint. The color is uniform, without reddish streaks at the base. The scent is pleasant, citrus-like. The carpels are yellowish, 3-5 in number, and the stigmas are pink. Fertile in both directions.
The bush is very decorative, with bright green foliage that remains attractive until late autumn. The flowering period is mid-season. Buds form only underground; no buds have ever been observed on the stems. The stems die back annually, like herbaceous peonies.
Height: 80-90 cm. Excellent as a cut flower.

Букет первоклашки (A first grader’s bouquet) (Bredikhin 2020) A Paeonia lactiflora variety. The flowers are bomb-shaped and densely double. The buds are tight and take a long time to open. The petals are white, with numerous small red-crimson stripes. The flower diameter is 5-7 cm. As the plant ages, the size may increase slightly. When fully open, a tuft of narrow, creamy petals without stripes, with a yellowish undertone, forms in the center of the flower.
There are 3-5 stamens. They are yellowish, and the stigmas are pink. They have normal anatomy, but full-fledged seeds have never been obtained. They have a very faint, confectionery-like scent. This variety is low-growing, typically reaching a height of no more than 50-60 cm. However, the most mature bushes sometimes produce shoots up to 80 cm tall. With age, lateral buds begin to form, the blooms of which are also decorative. The flowering period is mid-late. It makes an excellent cut flower.

Жостовская Роспись (Zhostovo Painting) (Bredikhin, 2020). Lactiflora (Twitterpated x Green Lotus) x Gold Mine. The flower is bomb-shaped, densely double, with red-crimson strokes scattered densely over a white background. The color is stable, and the density of the strokes is always uniform. The flower diameter is up to 15 cm. It may be larger in more fertile soil. There is no scent. There are 2-5 carpels, which are bare and yellowish in color, and the stigmas are bright crimson. Lateral buds are virtually absent; mature bushes may develop a single lateral bud. The height of the bush is up to 1 m. The flowering period is medium to mid-late. However, seedlings emerge later than other lactifloras.
The stems are thin but quite strong. Special staking is not required; tying the bush with twine is sufficient. It is a good cut flower.

исташковый Попкорн (Pistachio Popcorn) (Bredikhin). I exhibited the “Pistachio Popcorn” variety for the first time this year, 2025. It’s a late blooming variety. The buds take a long time to ripen into tight green balls. Then, a ball of white petals emerges from the center, like a popcorn kernel exploding. The outer petals remain green. It’s very double. There are no stamens. The pistils are underdeveloped. But I’ll keep an eye on it. This is a seedling from my own cultivar Пастель (“Pastel”).

Майский салют (May Fireworks) (Bredikhin, 2020)  Hybrid (P. mlokosewitschii x P. tenuifolia). One of the earliest hybrids, it blooms at the same time as the tenuifolia variety. The flower is simple, cup-shaped, reminiscent of a tulip bud when half-opened. The color is soft pink, with a slight flesh tint, with a wide, blurred border of a cooler pink along the edge. The flowers fade slightly toward the end of flowering. The fragrance is pleasant. There are 2-4 carpels, which are pubescent and light green. The stigmas are pink. Fertile, setting apparently viable seeds, but germination has not yet been observed. The leaves are heavily serrated, half as thin as those of the ‘Nosegay’ variety. Height: 80-90 cm. The stems and petioles are usually brick-colored. This variety thrives in partial shade, where it retains its foliage until autumn. In the sun, the shoots die off by the end of August.

Желанный (Desired) (Bredikhin, 2018). A variety from the P. lactiflora family. Double, hemispherical. The flowers are white-pink or delicate pink with numerous small, sparse, red-crimson strokes. The flower size is 15-17 cm. There are no stamens. There are 3-5 greenish carpels, and the stigmas are pink.
This variety is fertile and produces full-fledged seeds. In some years, pistils are completely absent.
Height: 100-110 cm. The bush is tall and requires staking. The flowering period is average. It has a rose scent. There are no lateral buds, but a few may appear on mature bushes.

Some other varieties and seedlings created by Aleksej Bredikhin. Click to enlarge and read the name below the image.

Name a few peony varieties from other hybridizers which you especially like?

Of modern breeders, I really like the work of Hans Maschke. I sympathize with his philosophy and aesthetics. I also enjoy working with varieties that produce extremely poor seeds. Triploids, intersectional hybrids, and so on.

Final question. Any remarks or suggestions you may have…

A society called “Peonies of Russia” has been established in Russia. We are trying to systematize and record the varieties developed in our country. Perhaps in the future, when politics doesn’t influence relationships so much, we will be able to collaborate freely and register our varieties with the APS. I always hope for a bright future.

Updated Nov 28th with some additional images and answers from Aleksej.

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