We've had a 'Bowl of Beauty' for a good many years but it seems to have developed a penchant for throwing sports. I had to dig-up the main plant last year because it was in the way of a cedar removal and ended up putting 3 divisions back in. They seem to be re-establishing themselves -thank goodness- and by far the greater portion has come back as 'Bowl of Beauty' but select parts are again showing the "mop-head" sport, which we really don't care for. The sections involved have been identified and will be removed late fall.

Since I can't believe it's only happened to me, does this sport have an official name, and if so, what is it called?

Hi Peter
Have you noticed your Bowl of Beauty setting seeds? If so, these other plants could be seedlings, and as such they would not have a name.

If you don't like them, just get rid of them, and treat yourself to a peony that you enjoy. Fall is the best time to plant peonies. Angel Cheeks is a beautiful pink and white variety that is widely available. Touch of Class and Cora Stubbs are very nice peonies that are pink with a white center that would go good with Bowl of Beauty. They would be harder to locate in Canada though.

I would like to see photos of the peony blooms that you are talking about just for curiosity's sake.

LG - a "mop-head" sure sounds like an accidental seedling and I too would like to see pictures

Me too

Haven't the foggiest why I didn't keep tabs on this thread, particularly since I was the one who started it to begin with....duhhhh....
Anyway, in trying to find some pictures of said sport I couldn't find any where I could be 100% confident of its identity. I'm in a habit of labeling pictures I take with the name of the variety of plant in question and none were found to meet my criteria, plenty of BoB but none of the sport. So, those will have to wait until next year unfortunately.
As said in the original posting, these plants were dug up last year as part of the removal process of an ailing Western Red Cedar. The clumps, as in tact as possible, were temporarily put in large nursery pots (5-10 gallon) until they could be replanted later that spring. Needless to say we didn't see many flowers on them last year. Both of the sports I spotted this year are on the very edge of the largest clump, on opposite sides. What would the odds be of a seedling coming up in a spot that makes it a appear they're part of a large clump.... Which brings up the question of how common is it to see "mophead" seedlings?
Anyway, I'll bookmark this thread and return to it in 2025 with more detailed pictures, including where in the clump they're found. So, stay tuned!