35″. Single. Clear pink, big flowers, a bit crinkled and mottled, 6 inches wide. Average number of flowers, big heavy long bright golden stamens. Near white pistils have red tops. Fairly dense plant, big leaves, flowers carried high above bush.
Award of Landscape Merit (ALM) description: ‘Roselette’ (Saunders, 1950) Herbaceous Hybrid, Very early, 36?, Strong scent — Second generation hybrid descended from P. lactiflora, P. mlokosewitschi and P. tenuifolia; single. For those chomping at the bit each spring, ‘Roselette’ is prized for its early blooms that usher in the season of full size peonies. Each warm pink bloom is cupped and crinkled, consisting of nine or ten petals with occasional hairline streaks of cool red running their length along vein lines. A feather flare of light pink is evident on the backside of the petals. Stamen filaments are lighter and more lemon in color than the stamens. Carpels are light lemon green and tipped deep red. Erect stems hold blooms high above the bush. Mature blooms remain attractive withstanding early spring winds. Light green foliage is dense and, if Roselette is well situated and watered, durable all season, a legacy of its big-leafed peony heritage, P. macrophylla. A model of health above ground, so too ‘Roselette’ is below, with unearthed six-year old plants showing no evidence of root rot. Establishes and increases stem count quickly. Propagates readily by division, yielding superior “wagon wheel” type bare roots, attached to three–five eyed crown. Also propagates by adventitious roots. Suitable for landscape only.