It's THE Bomb

The bomb, flower-form peony Red Charm helped redefine the use of the word "red" in peony cut-flower markets around the world. "Red" had been used to describe any number of dark colored peonies with undertones of ranging from magenta to purple in flower markets where more true red varieties were rare. After the introduction of Red Charm in 1944 by Illinois peony breeder Lyman Glasscock, that began to change.

Red Charm has since become the dominant red cultivar in the peony cut flower industry. Glasscock crossed the officinalis species peony Rubra Plena with an unknown lactiflora cultivar. Rubra Plena had perhaps the best red of cut flowers grown at that time, but the plant bloomed very early and suffered from short, weak stems. The lactifloras, with their longer stem, extended bloom times and wonderful scent had become the cut flower standard. In creating Red Charm, Glasscock gave the world a plant that produced huge, rich-red flowers on very sturdy stems that has proved to be a stunning addition to both gardens and bouquets.

Each flower features a big, round bomb-shaped mound of glossy petals are surrounded by a row of guard petals at its base. With just one bud to each stem, it eliminates the chore of removing side buds to ensure the largest flowers. The 30-36 inch stems are thick and strong, even so some support may be needed to keep some of the flowers off the ground when they are soaked by rains. Unlike some reds, Red Charm performs well even in southern states where the sun quickly fades other reds.

This peony forms unusually large buds, up to 4-inches in diameter, looking like big round lollipop balls on a stick and giving even the unopened blooms have great ornamental value. Our rows of Red Charm draw more oohs and aahs from visitors to our farm than any other peony. It's almost always the first double-flowered variety ready to harvest for our cut flower customers, starting about the same time as Edulis Superba. If supported well enough by rains or waterings, the foliage will look good throughout the summer. Stems take on an attractive red spotted effect as summer progresses.

It's easy to grow and propagate.Although the the roots are adventitious, meaning even a piece of root without visible growth buds can develop them after a year or two in the soil.

Fragrance in the blooms can vary from a pleasant light clove scent to no fragrance. Rarely will a Red Charm bloom wilt in a vase, instead a spent flower will begin to drop petals until just a slight vibration will cause an instantaneous drop of those remaining like a shattering of ruby-colored glass.

Red Charm received the American Peony Society's Gold Medal Award in 1956 and has won numerous best of show honors over the years. Flowers with this kind of beauty are often fussy, fickle plants that require lots of work to get the best result, but that not the case with this peony. This, no doubt, is part of the charm of Red Charm.
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