JamieV asked “have you managed seed on P. japonica?” No, I have not, but one of my local gardening friends has. I'm pretty sure that garden also has P. obovata, so those seeds may be the result of hybridization. So far, in addition to self-pollination, I've tried pollen of P. mascula, P. emodi, P. wittmanniana and various P. suffruticosa cultivars without luck. Several of us here in the greater Washington, D.C. area grow this species, and next year we plan to keep in touch as they bloom to swap pollen. Jim McKenney jimmckenney@jimmckenney.com Montgomery County, Maryland, USA, USDA zone 7, where a seed of Paeonia emodi in the refrigerator is producing a leaf. My Virtual Maryland Garden http://www.jimmckenney.com/ Webmaster Potomac Valley Chapter, NARGS Editor PVC Bulletin http://www.pvcnargs.org/ Webmaster Potomac Lily Society http://www.potomaclilysociety.org/