Natallia Kakareka
Country:
Belarus
Short biography:
I’m 61 years old and I’m married. I live in Minsk. Until 2019, I used to work as an accountant, but now I am focused only on growing (hybridizing) peonies and some other flowers.
More information:
Peony hybridizers series
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- Natallia Kakareka
Natallia Kakareka
How did you first get involved in peony hybridizing?
My first attempts at hybridizing peonies began in 2012-13 with tree peonies, after some brief experiments with hybridizing Tall Bearded American Irises. Later, in 2017, I began hybridizing herbaceous peonies. It was simply a sudden passion.
What was the starting material for your hybridizing?
The starting material for the hybridization were plants from our own garden, such as: Carnation Bouquet, Sunny Boy, Walküre, Nelda’s Joy and Blushing Princess.
What are your goals in hybridizing peonies?
I prefer herbaceous peonies for their unusual shapes and colors. But honestly, it’s more a matter of luck.
Do you mostly depend on open pollination or do you mostly make controlled crosses?
| 100% open | 50/50 | 100% controlled |
How large is your hybridizing program?
I conduct several dozen crosses a year, but I don’t have a hybridization program as such—it’s just my hobby! The weather also throws up some nasty surprises—in the last three years, we’ve had severe frosts in May (down to -8°C) for 8-14 nights, which resulted in bud abortion and limited seed (and pollen) production. I currently have over 100 seedlings of various ages growing and another 50+ seeds in the process of germination.
Do you have any plants in the market?
I do not propagate peonies for sale, but I do occasionally sell roots privately.
Do you know the American Peony Society (APS)? Are your plants registered there?
Apricot Morning is registered with the APS.
Can you describe a few of your plants that you consider the best or most beautiful and which are available now?
My best and only APS-registered peony is ‘Apricot Morning’® (2025). Parents: ‘Carnation Bouquet’ x ‘Sunny Boy’. Early blooming, unusual flower shape (almost always different, even on the same bush) – a double flower within a double flower. Very complex color: from salmon pink to apricot with a copper highlight in the depths of the flower. This peony is currently undergoing propagation and is not available for sale.
Some exciting observations regarding the ‘Apricot Morning’ peony , which has shown significant development and unexpected fertility shifts in 2026 as the plant reached maturity.
Originally registered with a height of 74 cm and described as having “no carpels” and “no seed fertility,” this peony has completely rewritten its own data over the last two seasons.
First and foremost, ‘Apricot Morning’ is a genetically complex, advanced eight-species interspecific hybrid. Its lineage traces back to a spectacular melting pot of wild and domesticated genetics, combining ‘Carnation Bouquet’ and ‘Sunny Boy’:
P. lactiflora
P. mlokosewitschii
P. officinalis
P. macrophylla
P. lobata / peregrina
P. tenuifolia
P. veitchii
P. emodi
While such wide crosses are typically expected to be sterile, a mature bush has successfully overcome this genetic barrier. This season, the plant reliably developed functional carpels.
Most importantly, the cultivar has proven its seed fertility! This year, it yielded large, dark, glossy, and perfectly viable seeds, including from a controlled cross: ‘Apricot Morning’ × ‘Sumvitg’.
In addition to its fertility, the overall plant habit has improved dramatically. Individual mature stems now easily reach up to 92 cm, forming a sturdy, well-proportioned bush that holds its large blooms beautifully. The flower form displays wonderful structural variation, ranging from a dense double-bomb with a prominent inner tuft to a lush, open, multi-petaled rosette. The color transition is equally exiting, starting as a rich apricot-salmon with an inner glow and gracefully fading into an exquisite, soft creamy-yellow (even greenish) as the bloom ages and fades.
These updates confirm that ‘Apricot Morning’ is not just a beautiful landscape or cut peony, but a highly valuable, fertile bridge for future hybridizing programs involving multi-species lines.
Within your current seedlings, what are the most promising ones?
Seedling WNJ 20-1 (‘La seconda’) from parents Walküre x Nelda’s Joy demonstrates high productivity in seed formation.
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- ‘La Seconda’_2025 – Владимир
‘La Seconda’ (Kakareka)
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- Unnamed seedling_2025
Unnamed seedling_2025
Name a few peony varieties from other hybridizers which you especially like?
Bjorn-Olof (Krupke)
Bridal Bouquet (Bob Johnson)
No Greater Love (Paul and Esther Simmons)
Updates:
- 2026, Oct 2nd: added additional information about Apricot Morning from the 2026 season and some images thereof.
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