Salmon Dream Peony
Salmon Dream is one of the great breeding peonies — and a beautiful plant in its own right.
Introduced by renowned hybridizer David Reath in 1979, Salmon Dream comes from the cross Paula Fay × Moonrise and carries a combination of color, fertility, plant quality and genetic potential that has made it valuable to peony breeders for decades. Its flowers open a luminous pale salmon-pink, with creamy undertones inherited from Moonrise, held above compact plants with strong stems and glossy dark-green foliage.
The flowers are early, semi-double and softly cupped, with substantial petals and a satin-like finish. At roughly 30 inches tall, the plant is sturdy and self-supporting, making it equally attractive in the garden and useful for cutting. Salmon Dream earned the American Peony Society Gold Medal in 2008 followed by the Award of Landscape Merit in 2009, recognition of both its flower quality and overall plant performance.
But the genetics may be the most compelling reason to grow it.
Salmon Dream produces both viable pollen and seed, sets seed readily, and has repeatedly been used in important breeding programs. Its descendants include modern hybrids selected for pastel color, doubling, stem strength and overall plant quality. Pastelorama, for example, was produced from Salmon Dream and became known in its own right as a strong parent for producing double pastel seedlings. Salmon Dream also appears in breeding lines involving Old Faithful and in newer registered hybrids, demonstrating how useful its genetics have remained across generations.
For collectors and hybridizers, Salmon Dream is therefore more than a beautiful historic cultivar. It is a proven genetic building block — fertile, distinctive, and capable of passing desirable traits into the next generation.
At Mountain Flower Farm, we particularly value cultivars like Salmon Dream that combine excellent flowers with deeper breeding significance. For anyone interested in creating new peonies, developing pastel and salmon color lines, or simply growing one of the important American hybrids of the late 20th century, this is a cultivar worth having.
Bloom color: Pale salmon-pink with creamy undertones
Flower form: Semi-double
Bloom season: Early
Height: Approximately 30 inches
Stem strength: Strong, upright
Fertility: Produces pollen and seed; readily sets seed
Breeding value: Exceptional — a proven parent in multiple modern hybrid lines
Awards: APS Gold Medal, 2008; Award of Landscape Merit, 2009
Parentage: Paula Fay × Moonrise
Hybridizer: David L. Reath
Root grade: Large 3–5 eye bare-root division
Planting season: Fall
