I only had two peonies to enter in the show. One was the Red Charm, that was full of water from the rain the day before, and the second was Lemon Chiffon, that had already been blooming for three days in the garden. The one Lemon Chiffon I had ear marked to bring to the show was bigger, but had been blooming for over a week. It had past it's prime.
This was the first year I had ever brought a flower to the show and I won Best In Show. I did not realize at first, that this was the highest award you could get! I was just overwhelmed with the wonderful people that I met. It was such an honor to meet the fellow gardeners. I had read about the start of the garden on the internet, but it was special hearing the story from the people that made it happen. I hope to make more of a contribution to the Canadian Peony Society in the coming years. 
Hear I am with Judi Denny. She met me early Friday morning and helped me fill out the forms. She shook out more of the water from Red Charm to help the flower show better. Judi has a wealth of knowledge about the peonies and more importantly the people that are in the industry. Later in the day she greeted me at the door and introduced me to many more people at the show. She told me the story of winning the Best In Show and that she had no way of contacting me, since I did not leave a number or an address. After I left the flowers in the morning, I went home to do some transplanting and weeding. I went back to buy some more peonies with my daughter, and to see how I did. You can just image the looks on both of our faces.
The community of gardens, and the passion for some of the flowers is heart warming. The Internet is making more people get together that share a common interest. I have emailed or spoken to growers across Canada, in the US and as far away as Holland. One of my pictures of Coral Charm is featured on the Swedish Peony Society and can be seen currently on their website. It really is a small world after all.
Congratulations to all of the people the won ribbons in the show, and thank you to everyone that contributed to make this show possible.
Congratulations to all of the people the won ribbons in the show, and thank you to everyone that contributed to make this show possible.
Your peonies are beautiful! Can you comment on the fragrance of Hermione and Auten's Pride? Do their fragrance nice and pleasant? What is your favorite fragrant peony? THanks
ReplyDeleteI love the smell of peonies that resemble the smell of roses. There are peonies that have a musk smell, that I am not found of. I have a very old variety that has a cinnamon smell with the rose smell when it first opens. Lemon Chiffon and Bartzilla have a hint of lemon. The older varieties like Hermione and Auten's Pride are the type that smell like roses. Last year it was the first time in the garden that it bloomed, so I will not know exactly how fragrant they are until next spring. They both smell like roses, and this year were faint smell. I expect next year they will be a taller plant and a stronger fragrance. Thanks for asking.
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