Peonies and Decoration Day

Pee-oh-nees....pie-nees... or pee-ah-nees, how ever you pronounce this beautiful flower, it is never more beloved than on Decoration Day.  My 91 year old mother-in-law tells the story of how, when she was a little girl, it was her job to cut and gather the peonies for Decoration Day.  You see, in that day, it was more commonly called Decoration Day than Memorial Day.  It was the day to get together what flowers were blooming in the garden and take to the cemeteries to lay on the graves of loved ones.  Peonies were blooming at the time and naturally became the flower of choice, perhaps with a few daylilies thrown in.  Being the state flower of Indiana, this grande dame of the garden with a regal background, has become a cherished flower of the common man.

The name peony comes from classical Greek and is said to honor Paeon, the physician to the gods, who supposedly discovered it's medicinal properties.  The Greeks might have named the plant, but the peony is native to China, and it was the Chinese who first loved this plant.  The Chinese name for the peony is "Sho Yu", which means most beautiful.  The flower has always suggested luxury and beauty in Chinese culture and at one time were put under imperial protection.  During the reign of Emperor Yang (605-617), peonies were first grown as an ornamental plant, although the root had been used medicinally for thousands of years.  The peony is poisonous to livestock and not advised for human consumption.  The early Chinese breeders are the ones that we can thank for the large, double flowered varieties we have today.  The image of peonies are on Chinese art, porcelain and tapestries and is still much beloved today in China.

Peonies are hardy from zone 2 - 8.  They bloom in late Spring to early summer and are generally 2 to 3 ft. tall.  Plant in full sun...for every bit of sun reduction, you'll loose a bit of flowering potential.  Because peonies can live in the same spot for 50 years or more, it is important to enrich the soil to be planted in by compost or organic matter to get them off to a good start.  Now, get a ruler out if you must....do not plant the eyes of the peony tuber deeper than 1 1/2 to 2 inches deep.  This step is very important.  If planted deeper, the plant will grow but will not flower.  The tuber can be snapped easily, so be careful not to break the brittle roots.  Water until established, then water deeply several times a month during growing season, if the weather is dry.  In late fall, it's important to clean up dead leaves and stalks to prevent disease.  Cut the dead stalks down to the ground as this is one place diseases like to winter over.  Peonies need a winter chill of 40 degrees at least for a few weeks, so they will not grow in warmer zones.  If you want to divide an old peony plant, do so in early Fall, during the dark of the moon.  After digging up the old plant, allow it to sit in the shade for an hour or so to toughen up the roots before dividing and replanting.  Make sure each section of the "new" plant has a set of "eyes" on it before replanting.  Ants love peonies and old timers claim that the plant won't bloom without them, so it's best to tolerate the ants.  I usually shake off the cut flowers before bringing them in the house or you can rinse them to make sure they are ant-free.  The flowers are one of the best scented and are one of the best for a bouquet in the house!