Fashion and taste come and go in the garden like anywhere else, but peonies are the rarest of blooms – they have never been out of style.
Their appeal rests on their outsize beauty, pure and simple. The frilliest forms are in-your-face flamboyant, and even the more restrained varieties are irresistibly big and eye-catching. The colors range from snow white to romantic blush to blood red. Some varieties are as perfumed as the sweetest rose or lily.
Another compelling trait of the peony is that it is the giant tortoise of the garden; once established, it just keeps plodding along. It is not unusual to savor peonies planted decades ago by your parents or grandparents, or some long-forgotten gardener. This longevity is a blessing and sometimes a curse. Because a plant survives so long, peonies are intertwined with childhood experience and memory. They have that floral mojo called nostalgia.
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