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Call me sentimental, but tears well up as I divide my favorite plant, Grandma’s Pink Peony. It doesn’t have a fancy name, but it has lots of history.
My first memory of Grandma’s Peonies are as a child. They were planted along each side of her narrow city yard, all the way out past the ash pit to the alley. As a child, it seems like they went on forever. Dad tells me he was a little boy when he and Grandpa dug these out of a garden, just ahead of the construction crew that was building what would eventually be a highway.
My dad moved a clump to the new little house before I was born. He was the gardener in our family despite working 2 jobs. Having my birthday in May, several of the old black and white pictures include the peonies in the background. Just one flower had bloomed for my First Communion Day, you can see it peeking out from behind my fluffy white dress.
A division arrived on my birthday after my husband and I moved into our first house. My Dad isn’t usually the gift giver, but he realized how much I love those flowers. And I must admit, I dug up the whole plant and moved it with us 8 years later. Can you remember how proud you were when you took handfuls of flowers to teachers every spring? Mine took Grandma’s Peonies.
It has been over 20 years since we moved here and my daughters now have homes of their own. We are planning to start their gardens next spring after working lots of leaves into their clay. As the foliage died back on Grandma’s Peony, I began the divisions and tucked them into pots to over winter in the nursery. Grandma’s Peonies are well over 70 years old now, and as beautiful as ever.
Passing plants to family and friends is a time honored tradition. Take a look in your gardens and remember the special people attached by memories to your plants.
About Cathy M Wallace
I'm rediscovering the joy of being in the garden, playing in the compost, remembering gardens from my childhood and dreaming of those to come. Physical challenges are helping me learn all about raised beds, lasagna gardening and new tools. In addition to our yard, my husband and I take care of several gardens at church. We love our family, friends, travel, writing & laughing.
Posted by vandyke26 (from Pulaski, WI) on December 16, 2007 at 5:17 PM:
This summer was so hard on my peonies. I lost three. Does anyone know where I can order some that don't cost a great deal? I would really appreciate the help. Thank You
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Posted by cathy4 (from St. Louis County, MO) on December 17, 2007 at 11:58 AM:
If you search the files the product and sources file : [HYPERLINK@davesgarden.com]
you will find nurseries near you, or you may want to contact local gardening clubs. If you want to order, use the same area to check on reputations of mail order companies. Hope this helps!
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Subject: Sweet Peony Sentiment
Posted by debnes_dfw_tx (from Fort Worth, TX) on December 1, 2007 at 8:58 AM:
Passing on plants is a wonderful thing! Getting the kids involved, priceless!
Grandma's Peonies are beautiful Cathy. Sweet article!
debnes
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Posted by melody (from Benton, KY) on December 1, 2007 at 10:05 AM:
You 'get' it. Some people never do.
Sometimes it's not so much about what you plant, but 'why' you plant.
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Posted by Dea (from Frederick, MD) on December 1, 2007 at 10:56 AM:
What a lovely article and the Peony is such a special pass-a-long. Brings back such sweet memories :)
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Posted by Tammy (from Barto, PA) on December 1, 2007 at 11:48 AM:
I think peonies are the quintessential pass along plant. A good
friend of mine has been searching for the name of the peony that
she got from her grandmother. It looks like yours. I have some
at my house now - they were here, growing out of the grass, living
through neglect.
A sweet article! Thank you.
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Posted by Dutchlady1 (from Naples, FL) on December 1, 2007 at 12:00 PM:
Very nice, I enjoyed reading it.
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Posted by nutmegnana (from Adamstown, MD) on December 1, 2007 at 11:20 PM:
I really enjoyed reading this. I have something similar -- just an ordinary forsythia but it was started for me by my grandmother -Nana- when we bought our first home. We took cuttings from the bush when we moved out of that house 27 years later and those have grown into a large bush where we now live. I have cuttings started for my son who just bought a house last spring and my daughter who is in the process of building a home -- and I have a little grandson now who calls me Nana.
We all refer to the forsythia as "the Nana bush."
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Posted by jwwf (from Yanceyville, NC) on December 3, 2007 at 7:47 AM:
How wonderful to wake up this morning and find a link to your post in my in-box. My mom had just given me a division from her peonies a couple of months ago and I was thrilled to receive that as a housewarming gift. That division came from a plant given to her by her late second husband who had nurtured them from a division given to him by his mother. There's some lovely family history around that plant that goes back several generations. This plant is also special to me because, while peonies are fairly common here in the Piedmont, this particular bloom isn't. I'm really looking forward to spring to see how well they wintered over.
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Posted by cathy4 (from St. Louis County, MO) on December 3, 2007 at 10:21 AM:
