Peonies are the aristocrats of the early summer garden. Such luscious, sensuous flowers! You would think that to achieve such beauty would require careful dedication from the gardener, but nothing could be further from the truth. A peony is no prima donna, but rather a sturdy survivor, hardy to USDA zone 2, drought resistant, and among the most long-lived perennials in the garden. I don’t have a wide assortment of peonies, but certainly no garden would be complete without a few representatives of this praise-worthy plant.
Peonies come in a range of colours, from yellow, coral, peach and lavender to pinks and reds. Coincidentally, most of my peonies are some shade of pink. I added the plant illustrated above just last summer, and it has produced a bouquet of sweet, gently pink blooms, tinted with just a hint of darker fuchsia.
Peonies are often associated with ants, who are attracted by the sweet sap or nectar exuded on the flower buds. Popular mythology has it that ants “tickle the buds” or “lick the sugar” to help the buds open, but in fact the buds would open just the same without the ants, who are neither helpful nor harmful, but just looking for a sweet treat.
I moved the darker pink peony shown above from my garden at my former home when we moved to Willow House. The peony plants from which it was divided were already mature when we bought our first house and bloomed faithfully every spring for the more than thirty years that we lived there. I estimate the plants were over 50 years old, so this is certainly an older cultivar rather than a modern hybrid.
The peony below was in the overgrown garden when we arrived at Willow House. It had competed with weeds and grasses and continued to bloom each year in spite of the tribulations of neglect. It completes this set of pinks that represent gardens past, present and future.
Lovely!
You say, “A peony is no prima donna, but rather a sturdy survivor.” I think of them as the corps do ballet, beautiful, strong, reliable.
Thanks, Deb.
Amber, very nice comparison! Thanks for your thoughtful contribution.
Your peonies are so beautiful, and you’re right, the plants last forever. I have some in my garden that have been in one place or another here for my entire life. They’re the plain old white ones, and they have no real smell, but, I love them because the are part of home. The peony season was short here this year. Just as they came into bloom, we had some very hot and humid weather. They burst into flower and faded quickly. I have already cut all of the stems back.
Louise! Welcome back. Yes, that’s the down side with peonies, the season can be short. If it’s not the brutally hot weather, it’s rain storms taking them out. I hear some of the newer varieties have stronger stems and longer bloom periods. But with peonies, there’s always next year! How nice that yours have been in the family for so long.
I love peonies! As far as I know, I really can’t grow them here in California — I think they really need winter. But my mother in Massachusetts has some very lovely ones that are very old. They’re gorgeous.