Bowls of Beauty

Paeonies are the ball gowns of the June garden. Their display is spectacular, mesmerising but brief. And I don’t mind at all.

I have lost count of the times I been asked for a plant that will flower for months on end - it happens almost every day. But I can’t remember a single occasion when someone has has come into the nursery and asked for a plant which only flowers for about three weeks and blows your mind when it does. And yet, every year, when the Paeonies start to flower in the garden, we are asked about them continuously and they quickly sell out.

I love a single Paeony. Not, ‘there’s only one Paeony I like’, but, ‘I prefer single Paeonies’ - those with a cup of petals around the outside and a central throng of anthers inside, like Paeony ‘Flame’ above. The bumble bees love them too, tumbling around inside the cup first thing in the morning, drunk on pollen and nectar, before sleeping it off in the afternoon.

Here’s another favourite - Paeony ‘White Wings’. It lives quietly in the dappled shade of Cornus kousa ‘China Girl’, the lowest branches of which curve down among the upturned Paeony flowers, two exquisite white beauties gazing into one another’s eyes in mutual admiration.

I meant to photograph the two together but a massive storm finished off the Paeonies on Monday. You’ll have to use your imagination, or come and visit us next early June when the two are out together.

The more ‘traditional’ double, frothy, Paeonies are in flower here too, but they don’t hold the same appeal as the simpler singles, for me. The heavy heads turn down, even if staked (which I avoid as far as possible). I had to kneel down and look up to take these three picture. And there is nowhere and nothing for the bees to frolic in and feed on, which is half the pleasure of them, I feel.

I first drafted this a week ago when they were at their peak. Since then, a spectacular thunderstorm has all but finished them off, adorning the lawns with petal confetti. Three inches of rain in one night has more than made up for their loss though, filling the ponds brimful and greening the lawns. The whole garden has breathed a damp sigh of relief.

In any case, other show-offs are taking their place. The poppies are a-blaze now, attracting the eyes of visitors and insects alike. The bees have forgotten their beloved Paeonies in an instant and have moved on, literally falling on their backs in the silken bowls, crazed on pollen. It’s hilarious to watch.

Like the Paeonies themselves, I’ve kept this post short and colourful. I’ve just read that Glenda Jackson died earlier today. Life itself is short. Her life glowed with colour, passion and humour. I spotted this on Twitter (yes, I still lurk and occasionally post..)

I can’t beat that, for a closing thought, this time.