On October 8, 2016 the world lost one of its most phenomenal peony hybridizers, William Seidl. He has decorated much of this world with his gorgeous peonies of both tree and herbaceous types.

I met him on a tour at Klehm's years ago when I first started growing tree peonies from seed. I was introduced to him by Roy Klehm. Had a few questions relating to "what to do next" and "what step and for how long,". Bill was extremely kind and very helpful. It was an honor to meet him and get very sound advice.

He will be greatly missed. What an amazing hybridizer.

I am so sorry to hear of Mr. Seidl's passing. He has hybridized some of the most beautiful lutea hybrid peonies out there. Hope I will be able to get a few of them in the years to come. What a great legacy!

This is such sad news Tracey, such an unfortunate loss to his family and the peony world. His hybridizing legacy will continue to live on through his plants. Thanks for sharing this information.

Definitely left a mark on the peony world with his introductions, sorry to hear of his passing.

What a wonderful legacy to leave behind; beautiful blooms that will be cherished by generations.

If the ideal life is to leave this planet better off because of your life, William Seidel certainly accomplished that.

LG

Saw an actual post by him on the yahoo peony groups forum. He said he would not live to see another bloom season and very humbly thanked all those who helped him along the way. Very moving. Rest in peace, Bill. Your legacy will live on forever.

For those interested, here is a link to the obituary:
http://m.legacy.com/obituaries...

Here is a copy of his obituary.