Peonies

Along with lilacs and lilies of the valley, peonies are among my favorite spring flowers that also carry lovely memories of my childhood. While lilacs and lilies of the valley usually were in bloom right around my late May birthday, peonies bloomed in mid to late June. We did not have them in our yard, but they were abundant throughout our community. I remember them especially as being used to decorate the stage at high school graduation. I had always wanted to have some in my own yard, and shortly after moving to Tennessee and finally having a real garden space, I bought three plants. Two of those three have survived and done well, each year becoming a bigger plant and offering more blooms. I especially love this one because when it first opens it is this delicious apricot color, and as it ages, its color shifts to something more akin to a cream with hints of pink. My other peony is a deep, though not shocking, pink. Once the peonies settle into their garden home, they don't seem to need much other care, something that makes them even more appealing to me as I move more and more toward a low maintenance flower garden. I have read, too, that they can live for as long as 100 years. I wonder if my house is still standing and lived in, will my peonies still be here as well? What a lovely thought.