the.com/peony
a flower that bribes ants to defend it before exploding into ridiculous, fragrant ruffles
means a perennial garden plant with large, lush, often double-petaled flowers in shades of pink, red, and white, prized for its showy blooms and sweet fragrance.
from From Latin paeonia, from Greek paiōnia, traced to Paiōn (Paean), the physician of the gods in Greek myth — the plant was long valued as a medicinal herb, so it was named for the healer of Olympus. The same divine name gives us 'paean,' a song of praise; the peony, fittingly, is a flower that sings its own.
- ant deal
- Buds feed ants nectar; ants fend off pests
- old soul
- Same plant can bloom for 100 years
- named for
- Paeon, the gods' personal physician
- empire flower
- Crowned China's unofficial national bloom for centuries
- slow start
- Won't flower until roughly three years old
sarah bernhardt peony — a hybrid peony cultivar named after the french actress, known for its deep crimson-magenta flowers
festival maxima peony — a double-flowered variety originating in china, popular in western gardens since the 1800s with large white blooms
coral sunset peony — a modern hybrid peony developed in the late 20th century with coral-pink to salmon-colored flowers