Peony Love affair

So this post has been a few weeks in the making, my eldest has just finished his last GCSE exam, my middle dude is transitioning to year 10 (start of his GCSE’s) and my youngest is transitioning to his new secondary school so editing time has been minimal.. till I made time this evening!

If you’ve known me a while, (you don’t even have to know me well for this haha), or if you’ve followed me and my social media for a while you will know I have a mad love affair with peonies. For years now I have shared my favourite flower with you all every single time peony season comes round. I dry them out every year and store them in bowls on my kitchen windowsill. Even photographing the dried out bunches because you all know I’ve loved sharing dead flowers with you for years too. These dried ones are now filling a vase brought in memoriam for my boys Nanny who passed late last year. Some of you may be sick of my peony images by now but I won’t be apologising and I will no doubt be sharing again next year too haha!

Every May I harass my local flower stall owner, begging for info on how they are looking. When they will be available etc and I am constantly on the nose for my first bunch.. then a new bunch (or two!) every week. If I could fill my house with them I would.. the only downfall is that peonies are on a short bloom season. They come and go in the blink of an eye and I hate it! I miss their beauty and I miss their beautiful scent, a scent that fills the room but is no where near overwhelming like you’d imagine with lilies for example.

(Here comes a little education but bare with me.. ) Peony season (from what I’ve found store wise over the years) usually starts with the peony Claudia/honor.. a red/pink colour bloom with orange tendrils inside.. shortly followed by a Nova variety and then my all time favourite.. the Alexander Fleming, a gorgeous full bloom of pale pink ruffle petals.

Well a few years ago I decided just buying them wasn’t enough.. I cut down our crazy climbing plants that had over taken our garden (and were slowly pulling down our fences!) and I planted my own peonies on the new empty spaces! (Alexander Fleming, Shirley Temple, Sarah Bernhardt, Lady Alexander Duff and Duchesse de Nemours.)

They grew well last year but didnt quite get round to blooming, over the winter they died off and I was devestated thinking I had killed them off...

NOPE! To my utter shock, they sprouted back! I brought some plant food and fed them regularly and they grew... and grew with a vengeance! This year they bloomed and I had 3 different varieties of blooms decorating my back garden! Two of the other varieties grew but have unfortunately not grown quite so well or bloomed.. (not getting quite as much sun as the other 3) hopefully next year!

So here I am sharing my love affair with you all.. and I hope you will enjoy the beauty of these and find even just a smidge of the love I have for them because there is just no other flower better.

Run and grab yourself a bunch now before the season comes to an end.. it’s sneaking up on us fast!.. Then you can thank me later!

Xoxo