Peonies.
Almost every morning, Baloo and I used to walk through the gardens of a restaurant located close to our house. I would enjoy looking at all the herbs, flowers, fruits and vegetables growing on the grounds and he would enjoy trying to find bits of carelessly abandoned food on the outdoor dining patio.
Quite beautifully, as it turns out.
Being the curious sort, I looked up information about peonies and learned that there are thousands of varieties and they can live up to 100 years! They've been used in medicine and have all kinds of different symbolic meanings, depending on the culture. Their buds can be refrigerated for weeks to prolong the season for using them in cut flower arrangements, making them popular posies for florists.
I remember being told that ants were required to help the flowers open, but learned that this is a myth. The ants are attracted to a nectar secreted at the base of the buds and their benefit to the flower is that they will valiantly defend their food source against other insects, thereby keeping away pests that might be harmful to the plant.
It was well worth the visit.
4 comments:
Peonies are one of my favorite flowers! Thank you for sharing your pics, they are beautiful. :^)
Hugs from BetsyLee
I love peonies. To me they look like old fashioned roses. I have never grown any, but this year I believe I'll put some in to come up next spring. Thanks for sharing the information. It's very interesting and makes me want to do a little research of my own. Wishing you a good day! Queen Mother
I have a peony that came from my grandmother's garden. She passed away 58 years ago. I love it when it blooms, it brings back memories from my childhood. I have it tagged in the garden as "grandma's peony"
sheila
BetsyLee, I'm glad you liked the peony pictures. They are beautiful flowers - and I love all the different colors!
Queen Mother, they may not smell quite like roses, but they have a lovely fragrance all their own. And, I'm sure they'd be a lot easier to care for than roses, too!! :)
Sheila, I love that you have a grandma plant. I just finished potting some of my grandma plants. I have five houseplants that originated with her and have kept them going for decades and shared cuttings with lots of people. She would have loved it. Your grandmother would be delighted, too, I'm sure!!
Hugs all around!! :)
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