Peonies are Forever

Legend has it that Zeus saved Paeon, the Greek goddess of healing, by turning her into a flower, the peony, after her teacher Asclepius, the god of medicine, went on a jealous rampage against her. While the exact origin is difficult to determine, we know for a fact that it has been a regular in gardens of Eurasia since the times of the ancient civilizations, often because it was used in the medicinal traditions of these cultures.

When talking about peonies, it is important to distinguish between the tree and the herbaceous varieties. The latter is the most common and well-known. Herbaceous means that the plant does not develop woody stems above the ground. For the tree varieties, it's the opposite, meaning that they can grow a little taller - up to 6 feet - in ideal conditions. Keep in mind, however, that although tree peony is the common name of the variety, it does not resemble a tree as we usually refer to it. In reality, they look like bright and colorful shrubs.

Within the tree and herbaceous peonies varieties, we can also draw distinctions according to the types of flowers they produce. In all cases, these varieties can bloom in many shades of pink, white, yellow, orange, red, and even purple:

• Single: one row of broad petals
• Bomb: a single row of broad petals encircles a dense pompon of narrower inward-facing petals
• Double: the flower only consists of many broad petals
• Semi-double: a double row of broad petals intertwines with the stamens
• Anemone: a double row of broad petals encircles a pompon of thin outward-reaching narrower petals
• Japanese: a single or double row encircles enlarged staminodes

Peonies are perennial plants, meaning that they can survive for more than two years. The herbaceous variety can propagate by dividing the roots when the plant is about to go into hibernation and replanting these 2 inches below the soil’s surface. Although the flowers only have a short blooming season of a little over a week, it is often said that if planted in an ideal location: in well-drained soil on a spot with at least 6 hours of sunshine per day, peonies can live for more than 100 years with minimum care.

These delicate and fragrant flowers symbolize love, romance, and beauty, possibly even more so than roses. Indeed it is not by mistake that they are by far the most popular flower at weddings.

Some of the beautiful flowers you may order for any occasions and for indoor and outdoor plants-
White Peony Wreath
Mixed Peony Value Bag
Bridal Wedding Bouquet

By Victor Medina Pierluisi