The John Simkins Memorial Hybridizer Award for 2024
The Canadian Peony Society is pleased to announce Mr. Serge Fafard of Les Jardins Osiris as the recipient of the 2026 John Simkins Memorial Hybridizer Award.
Since partnering with Les Jardins Osiris in 1987, Mr. Fafard has dedicated thirty years to hybridizing, working with hostas, echinaceas, ligularias and his subject of greatest passion, peonies.
Mr. Fafard embodies the rigorous standards and patient discipline of the seasoned hybridizer. He operates on the philosophy that desired goals and results come from meticulous parent selection built on observed patterns of inheritance. His seedlings are subjected to an exacting evaluation process, and Mr. Fafard encourages the prospective hybridizer to look beyond a pleasing flower appearance and consider many traits like attractiveness of foliage, color stability, flower carriage, disease resistance, and bloom time, as he does before making a selection.
His unique creations, officially registered under the "Osiris" series with the American Peony Society, represent significant contributions to the Canadian hybridizing landscape and our unique Canadian peony identity. 'Osiris Mariette Pelland' won Peony of the Year 2026.
The Canadian Peony Society extends its deepest gratitude and congratulations to Mr. Serge Fafard for his lifelong passion, his brilliant contributions to Canadian peony hybridizing, and his enduring impact on our shared horticultural heritage.