Planting a garden in the South: The Peony flower

Photo A & D Nursery

The peony is named after Paeon or Paean, a student of Asclepius, the Greek god of medicine and healing. Asclepius became jealous of his pupil; Zeus saved Paeon from the wrath of Asclepius by turning him into the peony flower.

Upon my many visits to garden stores, I walked the isles looking for flowers that I hoped to plant in my garden. I select them mainly because I wanted to see them again and they're not common to the area. I was intrigued by the bloom of the peony flower on one of my visits. The peony has a large flower with a center that creates a shadow inside. That day, I passed up this beautiful bloom because the leaves seemed to be less durable than the other flowers that I have selected, so I didn't buy it that day. Yet the peony fragrance has remained one of my favorites for a garden. I try to plant flowers that have fragrance but with textural leaves that stand out against other flowers in the garden. After much contemplation I have decided to add the peony bloom to my garden this year.

Here the blooms are protected by a parasole (Picture by Paeonyflora)