Peony – Valerie's Voice

‘Tis the season for peonies. After the lilacs finish blooming next comes the peonies to enjoy.

I have a couple of peony bushes in my yard. I love the shape and color and smell of them, and I always cut a few stems to have in the house. But the flowers, like lilacs, do not stay blooming for long.

So I was glad to be reminded on a friend’s blog site, Minnesota Prairie Roots, that the peonies were in bloom at Aspelund Peony Gardens, near Aspelund, MN, about a half hour from Northfield. It was a beautiful afternoon so we took a drive to have a look.

The gardens were full. As with many flowers, there are a lot of varieties and colors of peonies. It is amazing. We took our time to stop and smell the flowers and “ouu and ahh” over each color and variation.

A tire swing from a tall old tree. I was focused on peonies so I didn’t look to see what kind of tree it is. But it was fun to see it being used by children.

There is also a winery on site but we did not stay for a sample…it was a very busy place and all the outdoor seating was taken, so we passed.

I took a lot of photos…too many photos to share. The proprietors have a list of each variety of peony they grow on their property. The intention is for you to identify which kind you would like to purchase. Then the chosen bush stays in the garden until fall when you go pick it up and transplant it into your own yard.

But they welcome all visitors. We chose just to simply walk through the peony gardens, and meander in the wide-open yard taking in the vast country views. It was a sunny and pleasant day… a wonderful time to delight in the beauty of the outdoors.

Even though it was cool, cloudy and windy we decided to drive to Aspelund Peony Garden on the last day of their June open houses. As soon as we got out of the car I was glad we were there. The colorful array of peonies were so inviting they made me smile.

It was difficult to take photos with the peonies swaying in the wind. There are great photos on Minnesota Prairie Roots blog where I learned about this farm. Click here.

According to the proprietor of the peony garden, the wind and storms the day before, on Saturday, wreaked havoc with the peonies, but that didn’t stop several folks finding their way to the farm to decide which peony bush they wanted to order…order now, pick up in the fall (a good time for transplanting peonies we’re told.) The farm has 150 varieties of peonies. We do not have any more space for sun-loving flowers so we just enjoyed looking.

The proprietor was friendly and out in the field talking with everyone. You could tell he loved his peonies. He told us peonies are hardy. He said if you go to any abandoned farm in Minnesota, you are likely to find lilacs, rhubarb, peonies, day lilies and iris’. Interesting!

He told us the oldest peony in Minnesota is 150 years old and is at the governor’s mansion. He said the oldest peony in the world is in the Emperor’s Garden in China and is 600 years old. I could not find any confirmation of these facts on the Internet (a very reliable source! ha).

The farm also includes the Aspelund Winery…grapes and apple trees and pear trees are grown on this farm. It’s in a beautiful setting in Aspelund, Minnesota. The winery only had outdoor seating and it was too cool to sit outdoors, but we peeked our heads inside to check out the tasting room…we’ll save that for another time.

A view of southern Minnesota countryside.

The drive home was lovely…we love driving in the country…and I love this time of year when the green plants are popping through the soil a couple of inches, forming neatly, defined rows in the field.

As we approached our house we could see our three peony bushes from the road. They looked so insignificant in comparison to what we just witnessed – we laughed.

But they are beautiful and cheerful flowers…and they are blooming…and they are hardy! And I love cutting one stem at at time and having them show off their beauty for me in our house.