At the request of the Hoard Historical Museum, Fort Atkinson again has been named the ‘Intersectional Peony City of Wisconsin’ in honor of Roger and Sandra Anderson’s work with intersectional peonies.
This marks the tenth year of achieving this statewide recognition.
Roger is a Fort Atkinson native and a self-taught peony breeder who began hybridizing peonies in the early 1970s. He and Sandra were true partners, marketing his 50 named varieties from their nursery, Callies Beaux Jardins, from 1978 to 2004.
Intersectional peonies are a cross between the traditional herbaceous peonies and tree peonies. Roger took the best characteristics from each and produced peonies that do not droop. They have strong woody stems, upright unique big flowers, are disease resistant, die back in autumn like herbaceous peonies, and feature the handsome foliage of tree peonies.
He has created more than 500 different intersectional peonies — the most colors and varieties of any hybridizer in the world — and the first-ever orange peony. His “Bartzella” intersectional is acclaimed by experts as the “most perfect yellow peony” around the globe.
Roger and Sandra, who passed away late last month, created the Roger F. and Sandra L. Anderson Peony Garden on the Hoard Historical Museum grounds along Foster Street. It is home to the largest collection of intersectional peonies in North America, including those at botanical gardens.
The peonies are in bloom right now, coinciding with a special event that enables the public to obtain these amazing plants, as well. Thanks to the Andersons’ floral gifts, the museum is selling their special peonies as a fundraiser to support the facility, and particularly for its beautiful gardens.
Contact the museum for information or to obtain an order form.
Roger Anderson, at right, and Merrilee Lee, director of the Hoard Museum, hold this year’s proclamation while enjoying the Roger F. and Sandra L. Anderson Peony Garden (top photo) on the museum grounds along Foster Street.
Submitted photos.
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