Peony 'Lowell Thomas'

Paeonia lactiflora 'Lowell Thomas'. Double to semi-double flowers with loose, broad, glossy, deep crimson petals. The stems are strong, the dark green foliage is large and healthy, covering the base to the top of the plant, which is always a bonus in avoiding weeds. This excellent variety needs no support and the flowers combine well with pinks and purples. A rare late flowering red variety. 

This peony was registered in 1934 and named by John Rosenfield after Lowell Thomas (1892 - 1981). He travelled the world, documenting his experiences in films, books and lectures. He is often remembered for T. E. Lawrence - Lawrence of Arabia, but the list goes on. In April 1945, he flew in a normally single-seat P-51 Mustang over Berlin while it was under attack by the Soviet Union, reporting live by radio. Radio was his passion and he presented and commented on the news for four decades until his retirement. His signature greeting was "Good evening, everybody" and his sign-off was "So long, until tomorrow," phrases that he also used as titles for his memoirs.