Peony :
Miss Popularity

Few flowers engage the passions like peonies, a flower whose popularity easily dwarfs the much more common rose. There are peony festivals, peony conventions, peony societies, and peony science and research institutes. China offers tours tailored specifically to catch these fragrant blossoms at the peak of the season, such as visits in April to Luoyang, the “city of peonies,” which has cultivated the flower since the Sui Dynasty in the sixth century.

It’s hardly a mystery why these dazzling, robust blooms should be so popular – and why eight out of ten women pick them as their favorite flower, Available in an enormous panoply of colors and varieties ranging from thick clusters of seemingly infinite layers of petals to open blossoms with frilly contrasting centers, their splendidness seems to know no bounds. Ironically, the Victorian language of flowers translated peonies as “bashfulness.” This is a flower that is anything but shy; it’s nearly bursting with star wattage.

We normally recommend that a bouquet never hide the bride’s waist, but because peonies are so voluptuous, it doesn’t seem fair to limit the size. Better to go large and carry the bouquet to one side, beauty – pageant style. Weddings are one of the times in a woman’s life when she should feel free to bathe herself in flowers, and if ever there were a flower that you could immerse yourself in, it’s the peony. Also keep in mind that peony stems are relatively thick, so balance your desire to go overboard on the voluptuous blossoms with the realities of the amassed weight that the bouquet will take on. The march down the wedding aisle should never be skin to a training session at the gym!

Peonies are spring flowers , but when it’s fall and winter in the northern hemisphere, it’s spring and summer in New Zealand, from where we get most of them. That Down Under connection translates into a spring season that is many months longer than the calendar would have you believe. And also far more expensive at that time of year than you might imagine. However, even at the peak of the season locally, peonies are on a par with the prices of large– headed roses. Perhaps now would be a good time for a quick review of the math : One showy peony has the volume of six good – sized roses, so a comparison of cost versus size brings the price right back down to earth – well, at least to the inner stratosphere.

By the way, don’t be spooked if you notice freshly cut blossoms busy with ants. Some horticulturalists believe that the delicate movements of the ants, which are attracted by the plant’s sweet nectar, actually benefit the plant by massaging the blossoms open. No harm here : Before placing the stems in warm water, simply shake the flowers to send the ants on to their next adventure.