For those who like your beauty voluptuous and exuberant, above is a peony enjoying a shower. They’re starting to reach peak blossoming volume here. For those who like your flower arrangements lush and fragrant, here’s one of Barbara’s peony arrangements:
Peonies have been the subjects of legends for many centuries in Asia and some think that they were brought to Western civilizations by Marco Polo (who was said to be amazed at beautiful blooms that grew big as cabbages.) Now, in East and West, they reportedly signify romance, happy marriage, prosperity and other good fortune – and all of these at once, if you are lucky enough to grow the right peonies and live in the right culture.
(Images taken in Brooklin, Maine, on June 14 and 18, 2026.)