Peony Hybridizers: Schulze Steffen

Steffen Schulze

Country:

Germany, Sachsen-Anhalt, Nauendorf

Short biography:

I am 60 years old, married, with two children. My professional occupation is the development of landscape and green spaces management. I hold a degree in landscape architecture. I run a peony nursery on 3 hectares (7.5 acres).

More information:

https://www.pfingstrosengaertnerei.de

The German National TV channel ARD made a report about Steffen Schulze and his nursery in 2019. It is dubbed into english and can be viewed here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lrsS7oFl55o

Peony hybridizers series

How did you first get involved in peony hybridizing?

In 2003, I discovered my love for peonies and have been enthusiastic about the idea of ​​establishing my own peony nursery ever since. Since then, I have acquired over 500 varieties, species, and cultivars of peonies (including approximately 200 tree peony varieties and species, plus intersectional hybrids), covering almost the entire spectrum and diversity of the peony family. From that year on I have also begun hybridizing them.

What was the starting material for your hybridizing?

I started with the varieties from my nursery and I also took over seedlings and breeding material from Hans Günter Maschke who lives close by.

What are your goals in hybridizing peonies?

The goals in all groups of peonies (tree peonies, herbaceous peonies, and intersectional peonies) are flower shapes and colors that are not yet widely available and that attract attention. Of course, fragrance, hardiness, health, and sturdiness, etc., are also important.

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

How large is your hybridizing program?

My seedlings are 2 or 3 generations away from the original parents. But my breeding has largely ceased. I am now concentrating primarily on selection.

Do you have any plants in the market?

Partially available, some varieties not yet available. I sell them through my own nursery.

Do you know the American Peony Society (APS)? Are your plants registered there?

I know the APS, but I’m not a member. No plants have been registered there. However, some plants were registered with the APZ (Arbeitsgemeinschaft Pfingstrosenzüchtung / Working Group for Peony Breeding).

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

Following are some varieties or seedlings of mine and some in collaboration with Hans Maschke.

Remark: between brackets the first name is always the hybridizer; whilst the last name is the person registering it.

P. rockii ssp linyanshanii double flower. P. rockii subsp. linyanshanii is the Rockii form with the largest flowers. Only the white flower color is known for this subspecies. Typical of P. rockii subsp. linyanshanii are the somewhat closed flowers, which never open as wide as those of P. rockii. Naturally, P. rockii subsp. linyanshanii is an interesting parent for crosses to obtain forms with the largest possible flowers. Promising offspring exist. The extent to which larger flowers can be achieved in these offspring is not yet clear. Now, a form with large, double flowers has been discovered in a sowing of the original material. This could, of course, be the result of spontaneous cross-pollination. The discovered form is being monitored further. It has also already been successfully used for crosses with Japanese  P. suffrutucosa varieties. (Description from APZ) Flower diameter: 25-26 cm, very early season bloom period. 

Hanna Lazouskaya (Maschke / Schulze). Seedling from The Mackinac Grand x Mariechen, pink outside, yellow inside

Seedling from Pink Vanguard (Bernstein / Schulze)

Rosa Sensation (Pink sensation) (Schulze) Seedling from P. x suffruticosa

Akira (Schulze, 2017) Seedling from P. x suffruticosa. Semi-double, early season bloom period, fragrance average, flower diameter: 21-22 cm.

Silvia Lay (Schulze, 2018 ) Seedling from Y-158. Semi-double to double, early to mid-season bloom period.

Seedling from Elizabeth Sweeting (Maschke / Schulze)

Solveig’s Lächeln (Solveig’s Smile) (Schulze, 2018) Seedling from Dearest. Single, early bloom period.

Flamingo (Schulze, 2021) Seedling from P. x suffruticosa. Semi-double.

Nameless seedling location NF-45 (New Field, Row 45) (Maschke / Schulze) Mariechen seedling 1 x open pollinated.

PB 8 (Schulze, 2019) Seedling from Y-158. Double, early to mid-season bloom period.

Unnamed seedling (Schulze) Seedling from Pink Chalice

Unnamed seedling from Lemon Chiffon x Salmon Dream (Maschke / Schulze)

Unnamed seedling from Y-158 (Schulze)

Unnamed seedling from Red Charm (Schulze)

Weißer Seidenglanz (White silk sheen) (Maschke / Schulze) Seedling from Raspberry Ice x P. officinalis rubra plena seedling 4.

Lea Cara (Schulze, 2021) Seedling from Old Faithful x Lemon Chiffon. Double, sturdy stems, flower diamater: more than 20 cm.

Herzblut (Heart’s blood) (Schulze, 2018) Seedling from P. officinalis rubra plena. Double red, mid-season bloom period, height: 50-60 cm.

Susanne Benz (Schulze, 2017) Seedling from Harald. Double, early to mid-season bloom period, flower diameter: 16-17 cm, narrow leaflets.

Lustiger Harlekin (Funny Harlequin) (Schulze, 2020). Seedling from Y-158. Among the many seedlings belonging to the group of herbaceous hybrids, one plant stood out, distinguished by its interesting flower color and – a very important breeding goal – its sturdiness. This form was given the provisional cultivar name “Lustiger Harlekin”. (Description from APZ). 

Lachsrosa Schönheit (Salmon pink Beauty) (Maschke / Schulze, 2022) Lemon Chiffon x Y-158. Double, mid-season bloom period, sturdy stems, flower diameter: more than 20 cm.

Schwarzer Rabe (Black raven) (Schulze, 2017) Seedling from P. rockii. Single to semi-double dark red. Early season bloom period, slight fragrance, flower diameter: 14-15 cm.

Seedling from Lemon Chiffon x Coral Charm (Maschke / Schulze)

Andenken an Kurt Schroeter (In memory of Kurt Schroeter) (Schulze, 2017) Seedling from Lemon Chiffon. Mid-season bloom period. Double. Height: 70 cm. Flower diameter: 16-17 cm.

Seedling from Reward (Schulze)

Seedling from Auslesereihe (selection) NF (Rockii seedling) (Schulze)

Renates Andenken (In memory of Renate) (Schulze, 2018) Seedling from Pink Vanguard, semi-double to double, white, early to mid-season bloom period.

Pfirsichtraum (Peach Dream) (Maschke / Schulze, 2019) Parentage: Lemon Chiffon x Kathy’s Touch. Double. Early to mid-season bloom period.

Sonnenkind (Sun child) (Schulze, 2019) Seedling from Sunrise. Semi-double.

Sonnenelfe (Sun fairy) (Schulze, 2019) Seedling from Alice in Wonderland. Deep yellow. Single to semi-double.

Coral Charm Kind (Coral Charm Child) (Schulze, 2024) Double or semi-double.

Marcus Alexander Claudius (Schulze) Seedling from Y-158

Mariechens Kind (Mariechen’s child) (Schulze, 2017) Seedling from Mariechen. Early bloom period, semi-double, height: 60-70 cm, flower diameter: 15-16 cm.

Schokotraum (Chocolate dream) (Maschke / Schulze, 2024) Seedling from Hot Chocolate x Trafford W. Bigger. Dark red. Japanese flower form.

Unnamed seedling, salmon pink bomb (Schulze)

Solveigs Lied (Solveig’s song) (Schulze, 2017) Seedling from Old Faithful. Creamy white with a hint of yellow. Double, mid-season bloom period.

Aprikosentraum (Apricot Dream) (Schulze) A Pink Chalice seedling.

Kleines gelbes Geheimnis (Little yellow secret) (Hildebrand / Schulze, 2017) Probably a seedling from P. mlokosewitschii x P. veitchii. Single, early bloom period, height: 80-90 cm, pointed buds.

Paeonia rockii Peter Mielke (Schulze) P. rockii seedling.

Jodi (Schulze, 2018) Seedling from Lemon Chiffon. Early-mid-season bloom period, single.

Elfengold (Fairy’s Gold) (Schulze) Seedling from Pink Chalice

Emisa (Quad seedling) (Schulze, 2017). Single, mid-season bloom period, height: 60-70 cm, flower diameter: 19-20 cm.

Roter Zauber (Red Magic) (Schulze, 2018) Seedling from P. officinalis rubra plena. Double, mid-season bloom period, height: 50-60 cm, flower diameter: 14-15 cm.

Unnamed Lemon Chiffon seedling, bomb form (Schulze)

Unnamed seedling from The Mackinac Grand x Lemon Chiffon (Maschke / Schulze)

Unnamed seedling from Elizabeth Sweeting (Maschke / Schulze)

Unnamed seedling from Lemon Chiffon x Kathy’s Touch (Maschke / Schulze)

Leuchtende Verführung (Luminous seduction) (Schulze, 2017) A P. rockii seedling. Single to semi-double, early season bloom period, fragrance average, flower diameter: 21-22 cm.

Unnamed seedling from Y-158 x Lemon Chiffon (Maschke / Schulze)

Verrücktes Zebra (Crazy zebra) (Bernd Hildebrand / Schulze, 2016) P. lactiflora cultivar. Single, mid to late season bloom period.

Heide Hähnel (Schulze, 2018) Seedling from Stardust. Japanese flower form, late-season bloom period.

Goldenes Abendlicht (Golden evening light) (Schulze) Seedling from Quitzin

Unnamed seedling from Old Faithful (Maschke / Schulze)

P. tenuifolia alba seedling (Schulze)

Bernds Porzelan (Bernd’s porcelain) (Hildebrandt / Schulze, 2018) Seedling from Gedenken. Early semi-double, sturdy stems.

Within your current seedlings, what are the most promising ones?

A few more promising seedlings from 2025:

Andrea (Schulze)

Unnamed seedling from Blushing Princess x Blonde Vision (Maschke / Schulze)

Unnamed seedling from The Mackinac Grand x Mariechen, salmon pastel pink (Maschke / Schulze)

Unnamed seedling from Lemon Chiffon x America seedling 2. Pink, cream inside, semi-double, sturdy stems, location: NF36 (Maschke / Schulze)

Seedling from Lemon Chiffon, old salmon pink  (Maschke / Schulze)

Unnamed Old Faithful seedling OFF 21 – NF 27 (Maschke / Schulze)

Britta Bibiko (Maschke / Schulze) Seedling from Lemon Chiffon x ORP4 (P. officinalis rubra plena seedling 4)

Unnamed seedling from The Mackinac Grand x Lemon Chiffon, salmon pink with large buds NF16 (Maschke / Schulze)

Unnamed seedling from Lemon Chiffon x Nancy, golden yellow, short stature (Maschke / Schulze)

Unnamed seedling from Garden Lace x Show Girl, pink, inside Japanese flower orange (Maschke / Schulze)

Seedling from Quitzin x Lemon Chiffon, light pink, greenish yellow, not sturdy (Maschke / Schulze)

Unnamed seedling lila lactiflora from Red Sarah Bernhardt x Matilda Lewis (Maschke / Schulze)

Unnamed seedling, white with a pink edge (Maschke / Schulze)

Unnamed seedling from Lemon Chiffon x Beryll (Maschke / Schulze)

Unnamed seedling from Old Faithful x Pink Vanguard, pink, yellow, green, Japanese flowers, kiwigreen, raspberry (Maschke / Schulze)

Unnamed seedling from Quitzin x OFF-2, red bomb flower, stamens included (Maschke / Schulze)

Unnamed seedling, red, huge flowers, sturdy stems, NF 44 (Maschke / Schulze)

Are you in contact or working together with other peony hybridizers? 

I’m in contact with several peony breeders in Germany: Wolfgang Gießler, Hans Günter Maschke, Werner Wandelt, and a few others who have only done a little breeding. I’m interested in contacting other breeders. I would love to connect with breeders and propagators in the USA. However, shipping my plants to the USA is too complicated for me due to the new customs regulations.

Do you have unregistered plants that are not good enough to introduce but have something ‘special’?

I own ‘hybridizers’ plants’, primarily from Hans Günter Maschke. However, these aren’t attractive enough for sale. A detailed description of all the hybridization plants would be too lengthy.

Would you like to exchange such ‘hybridizers plants’ with other hybridizers? 

Unfortunately, I no longer hybridize peonies. Therefore, I don’t want to exchange plants. However, I can sell plants if there is interest.

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

The old varieties such as:

Coral Charm

Coral Sunset

Red Charm

Henry Bockstoce

Buckeye Belle

Sarah Bernhardt

Alesia

Lemon Chiffon

etc…

Updates:
Jan 5th: Some further abbreviations in the parentages have been explained thanks to further communications with mr. Schulze. Some minor errors corrected.

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