THE MOST MAGICAL PEONY GARDEN
Ok, so if you read my last blog post you know where this is going…the first destination on my list of ten gardens to visit this summer was Peony’s Envy in Bernardsville, NJ. The most important thing about visiting any of these locations is timing. You’ve got be there when the flowers are actually blooming and peony season is short lived unfortunately so Peony’s Envy was first up and it did NOT disappoint. Not even a little.
First let’s make the distinction between the Cut Flower Garden and the Display Garden which are not in the same location but are only a short 12 minute drive away. Photography at the Display Garden is only allowed between 3:30 and 5 so I planned to make the hour drive the Cut Flower field first and then get to the Display Garden at 4 to photograph all the blooms I could find.
The staff at the Cut Flower Garden was super nice and really informative, pro tip: bring your own sheers, water, and a bucket for your flowers. I was instructed before going to cut to keep the stems long so I could continually clip the bottom every few days to keep my flowers fresh. The super cool chic in the cowboy hat also told me if there are buds on the stem that are closed they will bloom on the stem as long as you see some color on the bud when it’s clipped. If it’s all green when I got home I should clip it from the stem and put it in a bud vase and it will bloom there. I have a the prettiest single peony in a mercury glass bud vase next to my kitchen sink thanks to this tip.
After paying my $10 admission I trekked down the path at the edge of the field in the shade of the trees and made my way to the second of two fields to begin cutting. There were rows and rows of herbaceous peonies basking in the bright sun and waiving back and forth in the warm breeze. Butterflies and birds were also a plenty…and you know what wasn’t…people. Naturally I loved that. I don’t know if everyone showed up in the morning or was busy doing other summer activities but there was maybe 6 other people in the field at any given time. Once I explored the full field I walked down to the second and smaller field down the hill closer to my car. This is where I surpassed the limit I gave myself on the stems. I told myself I could cut 10 stems, just 10 stems. But instead I cut 15…I should not be left to my own devices in situations like this. I have no ability to police myself.
I paid for my peonies, $4/stem and placed them in the water and bucket I had in my car and headed to the Display Garden. I was somewhat shocked to find Peony’s Envy at the end of residential cut de sac, I drove past several no parking signs…clearly the neighbors aren’t thrilled with cars lining their small street and beautiful properties atop the hill but the season is short lived. I parked and presented my ticket for photography to the girl at the end of the driveway, she instructed me I could go anywhere I wanted as long as I stayed on the grass or a path, if you aren’t sure it’s a path, it’s not. And off I went up the driveway past tables covered in tablecloths and last night’s dishes that were being cleaned up form the Peak Bloom Party. In front of the yellow house I was created by the almost amazing yellow peonies I’ve ever seen and I knew I was in heaven. I mean…look at her, she was the size of my face.
I rounded the house to the back yard and found an amazing stone wall that was lined with flowers, I made my up the steps to the top of the wall and this is when my heart exploded. At the top of the stairs I spied so many varieties and colors of peonies I audibly gasped. I didn’t know where to go or look first but the arch in front of me, another left over from the party the evening before, beckoned to be photographed. And then I made my way up and down the rows of peonies taking what felt like a million photographs.
I had no idea that peonies could grow in the shade but at the back of the yard the property is lined with woods with dirt walking trails that take you amongst even more blooms. I came across random irises in amazing colors mixed in with the peonies…I overheard a husband explaining to his wife how this was an unusual variety of peony…s
Wife: “That’s not a peony.”
Weird husband: “Of course it is, I’m pretty sure it’s called a black peony, like that Black Dahlia, that chick that got murdered.”
This may in fact be the best sentence ever uttered on the grounds of Peony’s Envy. The Black Dahlia reference got my true crime heart pumping but FYI: It was most definitely not a black peony.
I spent more than an hour wandering the garden and photographing everything I possibly could for future paintings and inspiration. The amount of flowers alone is enough to take your breath away but the amount of varieties of peonies was unreal. If you can make it to Peony’s Envy Display Garden between April 29 and June 5th, go! You missed the Cut Flower Garden hours for 2022 as of this publishing because it’s literally only open for one week. Put it on your list for next year.
Just FYI: The Display Garden requires a special ticket for photography, $35 allows amateur photography and $250 for professional photography and must be back in advance. They distinguish amateur from professional by equipment, cell phone equals amateur and camera equals pro. I left the camera at home and planned to rely on my cell phone which is more than fine for me.
Now on to weeding through my thousands of photographs and deciding what to paint first. Stay tuned.
Happy peony hunting,
Catherine