Peonies: A Little Book of Flowers (Little Book of Natural Wonders) - Hardcover

Weaver, Tara Austen

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 163217362X ISBN 13: 9781632173621

Publisher: Sasquatch Books, 2022

Synopsis

Perfect for flower fans, this little love letter to the peony is bursting with tips, tricks and facts.<br /> <br /><br />Peonies are queens of the spring garden, a romantic flower long popular in bridal bouquets (symbolizing prosperity and a happy marriage). In bloom for only a few weeks, they have passionate fans who love them despite―or perhaps because of―their short season. They can live to be 100 years, and are one of the easiest flowers to grow, with many different shapes and colors available, and a delicate scent. This charming little hardcover book includes 60+ full-color botanical illustrations, basic botany and history, everything you need to know to grow gorgeous blooms in the garden, tips for creating beautiful arrangements and preserving flowers, plus quotes, lore, and notable gardens and growers. Like a bouquet of peonies, this book is an affordable little luxury for gardeners and flower lovers --the perfect hostess gift or mother's day present.<br />

About this title

About the Author

TARA AUSTEN WEAVER is an award-winning writer, editor, and avid gardener. She is author of several books, including Orchard House (finalist for the Washington State Book Awards), Growing Berries and Fruit Trees in the Pacific Northwest, and the Little Book of Flowers series. She is trained as a Permaculture Designer, Master Gardener, and Master Composter/Soil Builder. Tara writes frequently about gardening, agriculture, food, art, travel, and social justice. More information can be found on www.taraweaver.com<br />

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Origin of the Species
 
"Had I but four square feet of ground at my disposal, I would
plant a peony in the corner and proceed to worship."
—ALICE HARDING, THE BOOK OF THE PEONY
 
Gardeners are a fanciful lot, prone to exaggeration and lyricism, but when it comes to the peony, it’s not a stretch to say she is the undisputed queen of the spring garden. Peonies are showstoppers, from the herbaceous (bush) peonies festooned with blossoms so multi-petaled they look
like pom-poms, to tree peonies studded with crinkled tissue paper–like blooms that seem improbably fragile, to the grace of a single stem set in a vase, flower petals changing color as they slowly unfurl. It’s no wonder that peonies have won hearts around the world.

With all this star power, you might expect peonies to be divas, requiring careful attention and lots of it, but they aren’t. Peonies are one of the least demanding flowers you can grow; they require little maintenance yet offer up a stunning display each spring, and do so for decades. I’ve never met a gardener who regretted planting a peony. The only regret I know is not having room for more.

When we say “peony,” we’re actually speaking of three different flower types. All peonies are perennials that lose their foliage in winter, but the genus can be divided into three types: herbaceous peonies that die back entirely, tree peonies that bloom on woody stems, and intersectional peonies that are a cross between the two. While intersectional peonies are relatively new—introduced in the 1960s—herbaceous and tree peonies have a history that goes back thousands of years.

Peonies are considered native to Asia, North America, and Europe, where their territory wraps around the Mediterranean. They thrive in climates that have cool winters—chill hours are required for them to properly develop flower buds. The genus Paeonia consists of about thirty species of flowering plants in the family Paeoniaceae. Within that group, however, is a wide variety—from large, showy blooms stuffed with petals that make their way into bridal bouquets and flower arrangements, to the simplicity of a five-petal flower, striking in its minimalism. It’s hard to believe that such diversity exists within a single genus.

While peony forms vary from simple to petal-stuffed and elaborate, the single peony form starts as a sepal-covered bud that swells to reveal a row of petals surrounding a mass of pollen-laden stamens with a carpel in the center. The carpel ends in the stigma, which is where the pollen must be deposited to enable fertilization.

The name peony comes to us from the Greeks. According to Greek mythology, Paeon was a student of Asclepius, the god of medicine. But Asclepius was a jealous teacher. When he saw Paeon using the peony root to heal Hades, god of the underworld, he grew angry. In order to protect Paeon from Asclepius’s anger, Hades transformed Paeon into a peony.

There are several versions of this myth. Another variation has Leto, goddess of fertility, telling Paeon about a root on the slopes of Mount Olympus that was helpful to women in labor. It shows that peonies have been valued for their medicinal use as much as for their beauty—and sometimes far more for the former. In both Europe and Asia, peony root has been used to treat a variety of ailments, from epilepsy, to hypertension, menstrual cramping, and spasms. In medieval Europe, peony was referred to as the “apothecaries’ flower,” for its wide health applications. In the British Isles, where peonies arrived in the 1200s, children used to wear necklaces made of beads carved from peony root to help with teething and to prevent seizures. Indeed, peony root is still used in Chinese medicine to this day. The flower’s earliest use and value was as a health aid. It would be much later that their blooms became as prized as their roots.

The peonies we plant in our garden today carry with them quite a history—from ancient China and Greece, carried in the bags of traders on horseback, in ships across oceans, and in the covered wagons of colonial settlers. Peonies have been through successive waves of popularity and fortune, revered by emperors, sought after by plant collectors, and tended by farmers, backyard gardeners, and painstaking breeders. These days they are beloved by florists and brides.

Peonies have long had associations with love and romance. According to garden writer Julie Martens Forney, “These lovely, luxurious blossoms have come to represent good fortune in marriage.” Apparently, roses were the flowers with which to woo a woman—but once he had won her affection, a man would give peonies to his intended bride. This helped secure a place for peonies in bridal bouquets that still continues today; they are thought to confer good fortune, prosperity, and a peaceful, happy marriage.

The peony is also connected to bashfulness and shame. This goes back to a different version of the peony myth from ancient Greece. One day, Aphrodite, goddess of love, found Apollo flirting with a pretty nymph, who hid in the petals of a peony flower to escape the wrath of the angry goddess. For the Victorians, who believed in a language of symbolism behind different flowers, the peony was emblematic of shame. According to The Meaning of Flowers, by Claire Powell, “They are not blushes of modesty which suffuse it with its rosy hues, but the fiery cheeks of guilt, for this flower is the hiding place of a dishonourable nymph.”

Paper flower artist Chantal Larocque sums up what has made us love and seek out peonies throughout history—both their gloriousness and their fleeting nature, blooming for just a few weeks each spring. “In my mind, no other flower can compete with the perfection of the peony,” she writes. “The silky petals, delicate shape, romantic shades, and graceful foliage make this flower my all-time favorite, and I’m not alone. Brides plan their wedding dates around peony season. Flower enthusiasts plant them all through their gardens. Florists go crazy over all the different shades available . . . Sadly, this bloom can only be enjoyed in nature for a very short time each year.”

Peonies may be a brief annual affair, but as any enthusiast will tell you, it is always worth it.

Edition details

• Publisher: Sasquatch Books
• Publication date: 2022
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 163217362X
• ISBN 13: 9781632173621
• Binding: Hardcover
• Illustrator: Poole Emily
• Number of pages: 144