Teppi Kinnari
Country:
Sweden
Short biography:
I am almost 60 years old; I have 3 adult children. I live in a small house on a 1,790 m² plot with my husband, our oldest son and dog Pickels. She is a bulldog mix, 3 years old next spring 🙂 And no – I wouldn’t call myself a hybridizer – I’m just a peony lover who wants to learn everything about peonies. Also about hybridizing and what characteristics might be inherited by the seedlings, it’s so much fun!! For this reason, I hesitated a long time before submitting my answers. My small attempts cannot be compared to the larger players who are working hard to create better peonies for everyone.
More information:
Peony hybridizers series
How did you first get involved in peony hybridizing?
The first time I read about hybridization was on the Finnish gardening forum Klorofylli. There I could read about Ahti Valli’s own crosses, he probably inspired not only me but several others to dare try hand pollination. After that, I have searched information on all sorts of sites, just to name a few: APS, paeon.de, Facebook groups… and now in recent years this very site, peonysociety.org. It was around 2017 when I first tried hand pollination on a more serious level, and made better notes about crosses.
What was the starting material for your hybridizing?
I didn’t have many peonies at first, but I had Lemon Chiffon which I mostly used for pollination – it produced lots of seeds.
Lemon Chiffon was also at a price that I felt was reasonable. Within a few years I upgraded with a few more hybrids, Pink Vanguard, Vanilla Schnapps, Old Faithful, Sunny Boy, Blushing Princess, Quitzin etc.
And then I received a gift to work with from a generous peony friend: Pastelegance.
I was also incredibly happy when I received some pollen from another peony grower across the ocean.
In recent years I have started to use more and more my own seedlings in crosses. This Autumn I also received exciting seedlings to cross with from a peony friend and I am now eagerly awaiting them to grow.
What are your goals in hybridizing peonies?
Mostly herbaceous peonies, hybrids. Beautiful flowers, I like all the main flowers to bloom at the same time on a plant. Amazing color combinations, beautiful foliage and absolutely sturdy stems. I hope to create something different from what is already on the market.
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?
Due to the limited area of the plot, there are not that many crosses annually. Approximately less than 50. How many seeds I sow – that’s a difficult question. Hundreds, but not thousands.
Do you know the American Peony Society (APS)? Are your plants registered there?
Nothing registered yet. I think that to register, it has to be something really special. I’m a beginner who is still practicing creating new things 🙂
Within your current seedlings, what are the most promising ones?
It is not certain that any of mine will become something worthwhile in the future. Time will tell. Some of them are growing at a good peony friend/peony grower to see if they are more than just “good”…
I still want to show pictures of seedlings that are so young that some have only bloomed 1-2 times; to inspire all amateurs who are doing crosses on a small scale at home like me.
These are images of the seedlings that I am now most curious to follow to see how they turn out: the ones that I think could be something special. Seeing seedlings grow, learning new things all the time – is there anything more fun?
Remark: click the images to read a short description below the larger pop-ups.
Are you in contact or working together with other peony hybridizers?
Yes to both questions. I have received peonies, pollen and seeds from generous peony lovers. I hope one day to give something nice back.
Do you have unregistered plants that are not good enough to introduce but have something ‘special’?
Hard to answer – my plants are still very young and whether they would be any good in future hybridization is still an open question.
Would you like to exchange such ‘hybridizers plants’ with other hybridizers?
Yes I would. Phytosanitary requirements however are standing in the way for interest outside of Europe.
Name a few peony varieties from other hybridizers which you especially like?
There are many that I really like – but I haven’t seen the perfect peony yet! Does it exist?
Final question. Any remarks or suggestions you may have…
Your website is incredibly good – easy to navigate, so very interesting and educational to read. Good that many contribute their knowledge! It would be nice if there were also more notes about fertility, it is not always included in the APS registration.
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