In honor of the New Year of the Dragon I thought I’d check out a bit of Chinese flora for this week’s blog. According to my research, “China doesn’t have an actual national flower but the national favorite would be the tree peony” (china.org). Back in ’94 a survey was taken in each of the districts and the peony got the most votes for National Flower, not that it was ever made so but at least it got the most votes.

    This flower is held dear to so many people that there are even festivals for it. One of the more well-known ones is held in Luoyang every April.  According to regenttour.com, “The city becomes a sea of flowers with tides of people during the festival.” Many varieties are brought in from around the world as well as the numerous varieties developed in locally in Luoyang.

China isn’t the only one who has a festival in honor of the lovely peony. Pavilion, New York has one each spring to celebrate the Tree Peony. Oshawa, Ontario holds an annual Peony Festival in the Oshawa Valley Botanic Gardens. Peony Farms in Sequim, Washington offers Peonies on Parade during the blooming season as well as the Peony Blooming Finale at the end of the season. Nichols Arboretum in Ann Arbor, MI has a Peony Garden that is known as, “a national treasure and has the largest collection of antique and heirloom peonies in North America “(lsa.umich.edu).

  There is a plethora of festivals out there to celebrate the lovely peony. The peony can grow well in our local region though the planting should be done in the fall. It may be possible to find some growers that have planted them in containers and they can be transplanted into your garden. Your best bet is to check with a local nursery to find out if they have some available and what the best course of action is to get them in your garden.