Identified as the lactiflora cultivar 'Dresden,' the peony proved well suited to local climate, usually flowering the year after division, then increasing rapidly.
In 2005 the American Peony Society convened in New England, where an unusually wet spring delayed most peonies. Mrs. Flanders's bloomed anyway, and as some exhibitors struggled to open tardy flowers with hairdryers, three perfect flowers from Mrs. Flanders's peony quietly earned the blue ribbon for pink, single-form peonies. Back at Coos Riviera gardens, Mrs. Flanders's 'Dresden' reminds us of the endurance and grace of these beloved plants.