An Embarrassment of Riches

 The Festiva Maxima peony bush has been absolutely prolific this year!

What a beautiful sight!

Paeonia lactiflora “Top Brass”

Ivory guard petals are followed by a dense champagne-colored petaloid center, and topped by the most delicate of pinks forming a whorl on the top of this exquisite double peony. 

This is the second of the three peony bushes that my husband, Lee, planted for me in 1989 - the year my son, John, was born.  I usually have to watch them like a hawk to make sure that rain doesn't drag them down and make their delicate petals wilt . . . 

This year, my husband spotted the first ones while he was outside cutting the grass, and brought them in to me with a huge smile on his face - two marvelous gifts to be loved and cherished . . .

I'm joining The Tablescaper for her Seasonal Sundays blog party.

Paeonia Festiva Maxima

This peony bush followed us from our old house in the city.  It is one of three varieties my husband, Lee, gave me in the Fall of 1989, the year in which my first son was born.  When we moved, we took a cutting and planted it in our new home, and it has continued to thrive beautifully.

This is a pure white double peony, with crimson flecks at the base of the center petals.  It has the most wonderful fragrance.  These are the first of the peonies to bloom every year, and when they do, we can usually get at least 30 flowers from one single bush.  It's such a treat!

The blooms are huge, much larger than my hand!

The Vera Wang vase that I received as a 10th Anniversary present from my job was perfect for these heavy blooms.  The leaded glass is sturdy enough to hold all these flowers.  Here's a link to another post about this gorgeous vase. 

For me, this is truly one of the great pleasures of summer!



Pink Parfait

This peony bush was one of three given to me for Mother's Day in 1989, the year when my oldest son was born. This variety is called Pink Parfait. It didn't bloom the first year, and when I called the nursery from where we bought it, I was told that we had planted it too deep. We needed to replant it closer to the surface. Sure enough, the following year I had a single, spectacular bloom, and every year after that, the bush prospered with an ever-increasing number of flowers.

Peonies can be tricky plants, the flowers are so heavy that they need to be staked, and if a good rainfall comes, it can destroy the blooms. It wasn't unusual to find me outside cutting flowers if a rainstorm was announced. Often, I'd cut a flower on my way to work, to keep in my cubicle. Cubicles beg for flowers.

I was very sad to have to leave my peony bushes when we moved to Naperville, but at least we took cuttings to plant in our new home. However, we've struggled to get the peonies settled in. We've had to re-plant them several times. Two of the bushes are still not talking to us. This year, finally, Pink here seems to like her new spot. It was a happy day when this lovely flower finally unfurled its petals and announced to the world: "I'm home!"