Many years ago I had the chance to visit Galen’s home and see his plants. I believe I may have been tagging along with Dick Westland when Dick was visiting here in the States. This was when I was first becoming familiar with peonies, and knew little about the species, so I didn’t have much to contribute to the conversation I’m afraid.   I remember what impressed me most was the small size of Galen’s garden, how most of his plants were grown in fairly dense shade, and just how vigorous and happy and terrifically enormous they looked under those shady conditions. I believe most of these plants were Moloko seedlings.  I had a plant of ‘Sydney’ and it’s main ornamental feature was it’s beautiful powdery red foliage during it’s early development.  If it’s fragile cupped single flowers lasted for more that two or three days it was doing well. It grew for me for 6 0r 7 years here, before disappearing one winter.

My sense is that he must have sold a number of the species things on his sales list, but I don’t know of anyone who may have them.  His operation was quite small when I saw it.

Peter Waltz may be the one to talk to about this.  I had a chance to see some of Peter’s hybrids once, but he was not there to let me know what they involved.  The ones I saw all seemed to involve regular herbaceous hybrids on one side, and something else on the other.  He spoke to our group once, again, many years ago, and mentioned that at that time he was interested in tall plants with interesting foliage, and the plants I saw were indeed tall and fairly lanky.  I used the pollen of one of them on Salmon Dream, and I believe we still have the nicest of the resulting seedlings at Adelmans somewhere.  It is also tall, lanky with many side buds, like it’s now-gone parent, and is quite vigorous.  I may have a few seedlings using it’s pollen coming along at Adelmans too, but I don’t have my notes with me at the moment.

Bob