![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdmD6n0VyFuKNs_3JPvf9_ZBGOtac-9FOwj04OrbDhL5eWwY7evvQu_TJPo7wxKCcvZT21t5w_q9jikO_Kxss3G-aKeWAPb1UFCQ7zlBlN58HZcCR7hmQ0O9yy4yJKOWYAabtAy7Tf8Lk/s640/Youla+Philippacopoulos+-+Pink+and+White+Delightpv2.jpg)
I've been dreaming of peonies - for more than 30 years,
since they don't do well in the Med's frontiers, where
heady jasmine and honeysuckle bloom profusely.
heady jasmine and honeysuckle bloom profusely.
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'Sunny side up' Krinkled Whites, looking deliciously sweet. |
Their fluffy, silky petals, and squiggly, sunny centres
shine brilliantly, even on dark,
North American rainy days.
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Blaze Peony |
shine brilliantly, even on dark,
North American rainy days.
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Pink Firelight Peonies |
And that fragrance...Few scents are as sweet
and refreshingly uplifting, wouldn't you agree?
and refreshingly uplifting, wouldn't you agree?
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Over 300 varieties of peonies were on display at the 11th Annual Peony Festival, in Oshawa Ontario. |
Thus, when the city of Oshawa hosts its annual
Peony Festival, people come from far and wide,
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwuhoBb2drI3mtG1hX6NCKfs9984d03bGWTdXx8Lzl1Au0ISd1EjMUdSmgvphbaD6M0-mNaEq38daInhZzpLTfDRNy42bySHnDJSA5kR369mswVYLPjjpZJZ8yPegl2zOeGSZjDc2CTmQ/s640/poppy+peonieslast.jpg)
travel over land and sea, (like yours truly,
appropriately clutching a pink cardie, in
honour of my beloved, bold, pink peony, the
magnetic and magnificent, Myrtle Gentry!).
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgndiLagq8H_W_kQpTn5SXH4ToeV63YmQ9afNCzjotFbAoEUWeZYObjKali1s7aKwgY24gfGjvRBh8maVCsKvrcWgnTG2rEv5zdDgSqowusr_hiB4H897jK_CeKgzleRDOZQFVnbcucfds/s640/IMG_20150606_113122a.jpg)
Others, living in the near vicinity,
waddle and waltz right in, and being
very neighbourly, make themselves at home.
For, there is a lot to see, like the many
rows of lovelies in the peony pageantry!
Other pretties will stay forever young,
painted in portraits very complimentary,
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4YB7ddYR1zilHtANTv871QsmxQ1elHyHqnjUkxCZZlTW9DYY3OPk7wHzeW_mQ_3RJEGyMHgmxOAu8aY9HzAaV5r07LY0_c5qTmtKrit8_OKH6e9pTqxdl1FSnYTiCN4FGkWLea6opeM8/s1600/LASTL.jpg)
while buckets of beauties, soaking their stems,
will be picked for their signature scent, in the end.
Each festival peony was a pure delight for me,
whose perfume still lingers in my memory,
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNDbZcFUdTlT1HGaZd_JGvt8dEhsn2UqYQOOIfyGF1ligEVPyHx7Df3tC7Y9J6YUaosqG7iqznGnJiQ670zq3Xr7DQAMn9dpSZDY5I8h3Lv73M16StYy-WBKSL9Tv3DapiGx07yYn6jRc/s640/IMAG0411acl.jpg)
but only one, in particular remains close to my heart,
which was neither a contestant, nor a model for art,
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiitL4ubksNJbZHuh4oSc_TGscXDnzOGbBNOqMr5CQcplvv2nELciVItk1hWEvM21IpoUo-fZ6S40z4fm1HXYJbiWJIB5wIO7fUFZDh1P0JOvZqOZ_55aBL7h-xrcolFdxZLwc8wy3PRZ4/s1600/019si.jpg)
for it arrived in the mail,
gracing the front of a card,
whose words of friendship and love,
I hold in the very highest regard.
Thank you, Dewena. And yes, these giant, but
delicate lovelies are, indeed, Festiva Maxima;
you know your peonies well!
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From my brother-in-law's garden, Festiva Maxima peonies perfume the late spring breeze. |
Happy weekend, my friends,
and thanks for visiting!
xoxo
Poppy