The Herbaceous Peony is the Very Epitome of June

by Vita Sackville-West

It always seemed to me that the herbaceous peony is the very epitome of June.

Larger than any rose, it has something of the cabbage rose's voluminous quality; and when it finally drops from the vase, it sheds its petticoats with a bump on the table, all in an intact heap, much as a rose will suddenly fall, making us look up from our book or conversation, to notice for one moment the death of what had still appeared to be a living beauty.
 


As featured on
The Daily Gardener podcast:

Words inspired by the garden are the sweetest, most beautiful words of all.
The Herbaceous Peony is the Very Epitome of June

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