Romantic, showy, stunning, sensational, soft,…lots of reasons why peonies are so popular. They are named after Paeon, who was physician to the gods in Greek mythology.

Peonies originated in China and were introduced in Europe  several hundreds years ago. Some of the hybridizing dates back to the eighteenth century in France, hence the variety of romantic French names, like “Souvenir de Maxime Cornu”, “A la Mode” and “Duchesse de Nemours”.

These gorgeous flowers are available for 4-6 weeks  in May and June; the time frame varies from year to year and depends on the weather – once again, Mother Nature wins! In November, they can be imported from New Zealand.

‘red charm’ peonies are simply stunning!

white and cream peonies, sweetpeas and alchimella made for  a soft, romantic bridal bouquet

long english garden arrangement