Through Advent this year I have been picking out favourite flowers and saying why I like them. This week’s flower is a white Peony, given to me by a friend several years ago, so I cannot say what kind it is.
It flowers in June and the main reason for loving it is the wonderful perfume that wafts across the garden for a couple of weeks – sometimes longer. But it is also a signal that spring has turned to summer as the last tulips fade and the sun gets stronger. The little spots of pink on the petal edges are a detail that becomes more prominent as the flower unfolds into huge frilly heads. Yes, they tend to flop over, especially if it rains heavily, but the past few years I have managed to stake them early enough, and a rainshower is the perfect excuse to cut some and bring them indoors to enjoy the scent to the full!
Do you grow flowers for their perfume? What’s your favourite?
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Enjoy the third week of Advent everyone!
Words and Herbs 