The Chinese name for the peony is sho yu and this means "most beautiful." I totally agree. Peonies are among the "most beautiful" flowers in a garden. Hidden inside the hard, tight bud glorious flowers patiently wait to spread their petals. We have to wonder what lovely color it will be.
The edges along the green scales produce sweet nectar. If you have peonies, most likely you will have ants. Don't be too quick to wage war against them. They are beneficial to the peony. Those ants that take advantage of the peony flowers not only help to open the buds as they try to get to the nectar, but they eat insects that are attacking the plants.
A peony represents romance, a happy marriage, compassion, riches, and honor, but it can also mean bashfulness. They do seem to be a little bashful as they slowly open, popping up one petal at a time.
Peonies bring back memories of my mother's love for flowers and her gardens. Peonies and roses were her favorite flowers. The peonies in these pictures are in her garden.
"The fattest and most scrumptious of all flowers,
a rare fusion of fluff and majesty, the peony is now coming into bloom."
~ Henry Mitchell
Happy to see you here, Cathy! xo
ReplyDeleteLovely photos Cathy and a super little bit of history. I always bemoan the fact that peonies last such a short time as their beauty and scent are such a plus in the garden and in the home when they fill bouquets.
ReplyDeleteWonderful peonies, Cathy. So lovely that these photos were taken in your mother's garden. Interesting to hear that ants are beneficial to these flowers too. Peonies are just about my favourite May flower. They come in wonderful colours and different shapes. Lovely captures of this bud as it opens.
ReplyDeleteI think I have one bud this year, not sure what happens. Last year I had at least a few. I agree they are gorgeous, and we tend to always buy a few at the Farmers Market.
ReplyDeleteI remember cutting peonies from my husbsand’s grandmother’s garden. She would tell me to carefully shake them upside down and then run them under a dripping faucet to remove the ants. They are gorgeous on the bush and in a vase!
ReplyDeleteSuch a lovely photo essay on peonies, Cathy! I fondly remember those that my dad grew (and the ants that seemed to appear out of nowhere when mom cut them and brought them inside :). We planted two peony bushes last year and they look like they just might bloom--yay!
ReplyDeleteI love the way you told this story as the peony bloomed! That is also good to know about the ants. Peonies really are beautiful and it's a wonderful way to remember your mother.
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