What is it About Peonies?

Bonjour, Friends!

What is it About Peonies?

First let me give you a little history of peonies.  Did you know that the Chinese were the first to truly value the peony?  This lovely flower has come to symbolize good fortune, prosperity, honor and a happy marriage.  Well now, doesn’t that sound appealing?

There are many varieties of peonies, over 40, in fact.  They are hardy and have a lifespan of 50-100 years.  With that lifespan, don’t you think they would make lovely wedding gifts?  I’ve read that deer, rabbits and slugs are unimpressed by them, which I’m sure helps to contribute to their long lifespan.

With there being so many variations of peonies, I tried to think back to my childhood as to the type of peony my Grandmother had in her backyard.  In researching this, I believe it was the Mrs. Franklin D. Roosevelt peony.  This peony has the large pink flowers that I remember with the luxurious petals that were about 4” in size.  Of interest is that this variety was introduced in 1932 by Alonzo B. Franklin of Minneapolis, Minnesota who specialized in hybridization of peonies.  I found this interesting as I grew up in Minnesota, so it makes sense that these would be the variation in my Grandmother’s backyard.  

If I’ve piqued your interest in learning more about peonies, I recommend the book, “Peonies, Beautiful Varieties for Home and Garden” by Jane Eastoe with photography by Georgianna Lane.  This book was where most of my research was done and was a special gift from my friend, Shel (aka The Nutmege Nose).  She knows how much I adore peonies and love Georgianna Lane’s photography.  Seriously, if you’re not following Georgianna Lane on Instagram, you are missing out on her stunning floral and Parisian photography.

What if you want to capture some of those gorgeous peony blossoms yourself?  Well, if you’re in New England, you’ve heard of Daffy Days on Nantucket as well as many other amazing floral festivals across New England.  I began the search for a peony festival in Connecticut and while I did not find a festival, per se, I did find that Cricket Hill Gardens in Thomaston, Connecticut has many beautiful blooms each spring and was toted “Peony Heaven” in an article by Kim Knox Beckius in Everything New England titled “Peony Heaven is a Place on Earth”.  I’m looking forward to taking a road trip to Cricket Hill Gardens with my camera this spring and shooting many gorgeous peony photos to use in my business.

So why exactly peonies?  The flower brings back memories of being a young child at my maternal Grandmother’s house.  The gigantic, feminine pink blossoms that start out so round and develop into so many massive petals that seem to go on and on.  I remember they were so voluminous, so soft and so pink (at this point you know my favorite color is pink!).  Then there’s the scent, such a sweet highly-fragrant scent…it is true that scents bring us back in time and spark something in us.  I’m so thrilled to be able to share my love of peonies with you with my business, Chic Peony Boutique!  It is my hope that you find a love for peonies and my business is able to create meaningful memories for you as well as to the special people in your life that you generously share my business with.

I’d love to hear from you; is there a special flower that brings you back to a special place?  Please tell me your story in the comments below.  Oh, and if you haven’t already signed up to be part of the Peony Club, you can do so right here.  You’ll receive an email for 10% off your first order as my appreciation.

Au revoir!

Regina…xo

P.S. I’m so grateful to you!  If you’d like to hear more about me and how I began Chic Peony Boutique, take a look at my first blog post!