Friday, March 23, 2007

My Genealogy in Peonies

White peony blossom, June 2006

This is a bloom from my grandmother's peony, taken last June. When my grandmother left the farm where she was raised (near Prescott, Iowa), she took her peony bushes with her. I helped my mother move the peonies to our farm after Grandma died. Later, I moved this peony from Iowa to Maryland, and from Maryland to West Virginia. My mother believed that her own grandmother had planted the peonies when her children were young, in the 1890's. I guess that makes them my heirloom variety.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

What a wonderful thing to pass on! A plant, especially a flower, is such an experiential thing from the dirt to the perfume. To share in these experiences over so many years is beautiful.

Cathy said...

Rebecca, I found your blog through Bev's Burning Silo. I had to drop by and 'second' your enthusiasm for peonies. I have those same wonderful, fragrant memories from childhood. Could this peony be 'Festiva Maxima'? I adore it.

Rebecca Clayton said...

It seems like many people have strong feelings for peonies. Tactile and aroma memories seem to be the most powerful, at least for me.