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What are Peonies?
Peonies are gorgeous perennials (plants that can live for a long time) that can grow for decades. Growing peonies is easy and pays huge dividends. Their beautiful, fragrant blooms and glossy green foliage adds interest even after the spring display is done.
Peonies can last for 100 years if properly cared for! Peonies are adored for their delicate, fluffy blooms and sweet fragrance. Most of us love this beautiful flower, but how much do you really know about them?
Peony Flower Meaning: The Different Colours
Just like most flowers, peonies also come in a variety of colours. Each colour has a meaning associated with it!
Pink Peonies
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Pink Peonies are the most popular with plenty of variety in this shade. A pink peony signifies love, beauty, and romance. Some of the pink peonies are Big Ben, Angel Cheeks, Bowl of Beauty, Blaze, Candy Stripe, Do Tell, Fairy’s Petticoat, Gay Paree and Myrtle Gentry.
White Peonies
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White Peonies are the embodiment of spring with their beautiful petals. White is the colour of purity, innocence, and cleanliness. It can also be a symbol of peace and tranquillity.
Some of the popular white peonies are Festiva Maxima, Duchesse De Nemours, Bowl of Cream, Bride’s Dream, Ann Cousins, White Towers, Nick Shaylor, Charlie’s White and Baroness Schroeder.
Red Peonies
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Red Peonies are favourite for most people for their beauty and fragrance. The colour red represents the most prestigious rank in the peony hierarchy. It is usually reserved for those who have risen to the top and attained a position of power and authority.
But, in today’s day and age, red peonies are mostly used as gifts for loved ones! The varieties of red peonies include Red Memorial Day, Buckeye Belle, Big Ben and Dandy Dan.
Yellow Peonies
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Yellow Peonies are also equally popular especially among the Chinese people as the yellow peony represents the sun and happiness. It is a sign of joy and good fortune. The varieties of yellow peonies are Bartzella, Blush Queen, Bowl of Cream, Butter Bowl, Claire de Lune, Early Glow, Garden Treasure, High Noon and Honey Gold.
Peonies Facts
Peonies Facts #1: Peonies have a rich history.
Peonies are called mu dan (牡丹) in the Chinese language and it is one of the most famous flowers in Chinese history. According to the Chinese historical story, the only female Chinese emperor (Wu Tze Tian) was furious towards
Peonies because they “refused” to bloom overnight during the winter season. She demanded her servants expel the flowers from her capital.
The flowers were ripped out and sent to a different place. As soon as the peonies arrived there, they blossomed into beautiful flowers. After knowing this, the empress ordered her servants to burn the flowers to death.
Despite burning the flowers to root, the blooming flowers become even more dazzling and to this day peonies are very well-known in China.
Peonies Facts #2: Peonies' names came from Greek mythology.
Peonies were given their name from the Greek word Paeon. According to Greek mythology, Paeon was the physician to the Greek Gods. He outsmarted his teacher (Asclepius) when he extracted a milky liquid from the root of a peony that cured Lord Pluto.
This caused Asclepius to be angry and jealous of Paeon as Asclepius was the God of medicine and healing. Lord Zeus saved Paeon by turning him into a beautiful flower (peony) when he was threatened to be killed by Asclepius out of jealousy.
Peonies Facts #3: Peony has health benefits and therapeutic value.
Natural products such as flowers usually have a lot of therapeutic value to them and peony is certainly not an exception to that!
Peonies are particularly beneficial to the skin and their antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties are interesting to fight bad tissues and soothes skin rashes.
Peonies Flower Care
Peonies Flower Care Tip #1: Make sure the flowers get sunlight.
Peonies love the sunshine and they will not be blooming if it is not getting enough sunlight. Peonies love full sunshine but they can also deal with afternoon shade.
Peonies Flower Care Tip #2. Pick a good location to plant the peonies.
Peonies are not suitable to be transplanted. Peonies will usually have difficulty blooming if it is transplanted. So, you have to think really carefully before picking a place to plant your peonies.
Peonies Flower Care Tip #3: Do not plant the peonies too deeply.
Cover the crown of your plant or tuber with 1 or 2 inches of soil. Planting too deep is one of the most common reasons why peonies won’t bloom.
Peonies Flower Care Tip #4: Fertilise the peonies.
Fertilise the peonies for the first couple of years in early spring or just after flowering. Older peonies do not need much care. Just add a layer of compost around plants in spring, making sure not to pile the mulch around the stems.
Peonies Flower Care Tip #5: Do not overwater the plants.
The peonies should not have too much water. You will have to make sure that you don’t have soggy soil on your peonies. When you’re planting your peonies make sure that are in well-drained soil.
Peonies Flower Care Tip #6: Leave some leaves on the plant when harvesting blooms.
When you want to harvest your peonies to make flower arrangements in a vase or bouquet, you will have to make sure that you leave some leaves on the plant when harvesting blooms. This is because the plant needs to continue itself for the photosynthesis process.
Conclusion
Peonies are certainly a flower that brings so much positivity and benefits to people who possess them. So, what are you waiting for? Go check out our latest collection of peonies featuring a wide variety of gorgeous designs at Happy Bunch!