what is a pe·o·ny |
| you may have noticed these innocuous sprites littered throughout this site. just in the case anyone was wondering what they are, well - they're supposed to be peonies O-) |
| uses:
medicinal, ornamentation, floriology, gifting. |
peony associations:
ennui, shame, bashfulness, regality, 13, 5 |
| intro:
i first encountered a peony in the spring of 2004, when i first moved into my current home. i'd never lived in a house before, and after a lifetime of living in the siren-filled heart of queens, new york, the quiet stillness of our new small-town neighborhood was deafening. this effect was further amplified by the tentative rains, titillating to the wary and curious senses of my 11-year old self. new house had peonies outside. big fluffy rose-white. soft, petrichor, rain, ants. gifted madame |
history:
one of the first things i learned about the peony was that it was once considered the national flower of china. as a result i always associated the large blossom with the grandeur of palace gardens and eastern mysticism. it wasn't until until much later that i too, became aware of its western connotations of bitter ennui. greece |