I need Andrew to play a little drumroll here…these are the first peonies ever to bloom on Taylor property. Peonies are my favorite flower in the world. I first loved them because they bloom every year for my birthday. In fact, when I was young my mom and grandma made it seem as though they bloomed because it was my birthday. But then I loved them because they are so generous with their beauty and fragrance. Just look at them; they’re not holding anything back. And when I found out peonies are the unofficial national flower of China, well, that was the icing on the flowery cake.
The peonies of my childhood came from bushes that had belonged to my great-grandfather, Melvin Lathrop. Grandma Marilyn has offered a plant or two of her father’s as soon as I clear a spot for them. I love the idea of generations of a family enjoying blooms planted by an ancestor. Maybe that’s one of the reasons peonies are so popular in China; they have such reverence for ancestors there.
In honor of this momentous occasion, I’d like to share a little poem/song called “The Peony Bush” with you. Do you remember Danny Kaye? He was a singer and actor that you might know from the holiday classic White Christmas. I first saw him when he sang “Inchworm” with the Muppets when I was little. Kaye recorded “The Peony Bush” by Meredith Willson (of The Music Man fame) back in the 1950s. It’s a sweet and silly tribute to the peony. Kaye sings in that over-the-top style (I think it’s called bravura) so popular back then. A singing style that my Grandpa Tony can still nail to this day. Ask him to sing something for you the next time you see him and you’ll see what I mean.
How about you? Is there a flower or plant that’s especially meaningful for you?
The Peony Bush
(by Meredith Willson, as recorded by Danny Kaye)
‘Twas the peony bush there in my garden
That made you turn around and smile at me.
Not the zinnias or gardenias with their fragrant perfume,
Forget-me-nots in fancy pots or orchids in-a bloom;
But the peony bush there in my garden
It did the trick as quick as one-two-three.
Please decorate my garden gate forever
And never will there be any bush.
But the peony bush for me.
Every rose, every tree, every bird and bee
Seem to rate a rondolet or two.
So a slight poetic push for my favorite bush
Would seem to be long overdue.
‘Twas the peony bush there in my garden
That made you turn around and smile at me.
Not the zinnias or gardenias with their fragrant perfume,
Forget-me-nots in fancy pots or orchids in-a bloom;
But the peony bush there in my garden
It did the trick as quick as one-two-three.
Please decorate my garden gate forever
And never will there be any bush,
But the peony bush for me.
I have always loved peonies. I’ve planted them everywhere I’ve lived up until now. One problem: just when I am reveling in their blooms, a storm comes by and ruins them and I am heartbroken.
That happened to mom this year, Judy. Her peonies bloomed the day before it got up to 105 and that was that. They’re generous, but elusive.
Peonies are absolutely my favorite flower too! Like you, I was also excited to learn that they were the national flower of China (富贵花 (fùguìhuā) “flower of riches and honour”). I only worry that they may attract a lot of bees to our yard, which is why I won’t get a peony bush now. Maybe when the babies are older, or else I suppose I could find a spot on the front lawn where we spend less time?
One thing about peonies is that they take a while to establish themselves, so maybe if you planted one now (or in the next year or so) they wouldn’t bloom until the babies were old enough to know to avoid the bees.