If flowers could speak, the peony would whisper tales of beauty, love, and resilience. With their lush, full blooms and sweet fragrance, peonies have long captured the hearts of gardeners, florists, and romantics alike. These perennial favourites are more than just a pretty face...they’re steeped in history, rich in symbolism, and surprisingly low maintenance.
Few flowers capture the imagination quite like the peony or, as it’s known in botanical Latin, Paeonia. Named after the mythical Greek physician Paeon, who was said to have used the plant to heal the gods, the peony has long carried an air of mystery, elegance, and ancient wisdom.
A Brief History of Peonies
Peonies have been cultivated for over 2,000 years, with roots in both Eastern and Western traditions. In China, where they are known as the "king of flowers," peonies have symbolized honour, wealth, and feminine beauty since the Tang Dynasty. Artists and poets often portrayed them as emblems of prosperity and grace.
In Europe, peonies were prized in monastery gardens for their medicinal properties. By the 18th and 19th centuries, they gained popularity purely for ornamental purposes, and today, they are staples in gardens and bouquets around the world.
The Language of Paeonia
Belonging to the family Paeoniaceae, the genus Paeonia includes over 30 recognized species, divided into two main groups:
- Herbaceous Peonies (Paeonia lactiflora, P. officinalis): These perenial types die back each winter and bloom again in Spring.
- Tree peonies (Paeonia suffruticosa): Woody shrubs with show-stopping blooms, revered for centuries in Chinese gardens.
- Intersectional or Itoh hybrids (crosses between P. lactiflora and P. suffruticosa): These offer the best of both worlds—strong stems, large blooms, and excellent longevity.
The peony’s bloom is notoriously brief. But perhaps that’s part of its allure. In Latin, transitus florum “the passing of flowers” captures the peony's ephemeral nature and reminds us of life’s own fleeting beauty.
The flowers themselves come in several forms...single, semi-double, double, bomb, and anemone each, with its own rhythm and architecture. As an artist, I find endless inspiration in the way light filters through their petals, how shadows pool between folds, and how their structure invites both chaos and harmony on paper.
"Quiet Radiance", original watercolour painting (white peonies) on Arches hot-pressed paper, 640 gsm, framed, 35 5/8 in (w) x 29 7/8 in (h), available at Melt Studio and Gallery
Growing Peonies: Surprisingly Simple
Don’t let their luxurious looks fool you, peonies are among the easiest perennials to grow if you give them what they need:
- Location: Choose a spot with full sun (at least 6 hours daily).
- Soil: They prefer well-drained soil with good organic content.
- Planting depth: This is crucial. Plant the eyes (buds) no more than 2 inches below the surface.
- Patience: Peonies often take 2-3 years to bloom after planting, but once they do, they can live and bloom for decades with minimal care.
Tip: Avoid overwatering and support large blooms with cages or stakes to prevent flopping in rain or wind.
"Feminine Fury", original watercolour painting (pink peony) on Arches hot-pressed paper, 640 gsm, framed, 35 1/8 in (w) x 28 3/4 in (h), available at Melt Studio and Gallery
The Artistic Challenge
To paint them is to engage with these meanings. Every brushstroke becomes an act of reverence not just for their outward beauty, but for the deeper stories they hold.
Every time I paint a peony, I feel connected to that layered symbolism. They are not just pretty blooms, they're storytellers.
There’s something about peonies that feels like poetry in bloom. With their layers of delicate petals, their fleeting presence and their rich fragrance they captivate the senses and stir emotion. As a watercolour artist, I find myself returning to them again and again, fascinated by their elegance and mystery.
Watercolour is a medium of light and breath. It thrives on transparency and movement much like the petals of a peony. Each layer must be laid with care, each wash allowed to bloom organically. It's a fitting medium for such a transient muse.
No two peony blooms are the same; their personality shifts with light, humidity, and age. Some are tightly furled like a secret, others open wide and wild. As an artist, I learn something new from each one I paint.
Peonies ask us to slow down. Their blooms are brief but unforgettable, much like the moments we often try to capture in art. In watercolour, where fluidity and unpredictability are part of the process, painting peonies becomes a dance between control and surrender.
Their fullness offers a rich subject for light and shadow play. Their softness demands gentle brushwork. And their symbolism of beauty, grace, and impermanence feels especially resonant in today’s world.
Peonies have long been a symbol of romance, honour, and renewal. For me, they also represent artistic flow in how a single bloom can be both a technical challenge and a source of calm.
A Moment in the Spotlight
This season, I’m thrilled to share that several of my peony-inspired paintings are currently on display at Melt Studio and Gallery in Picton. The Melt Roster Group Show is on from June 20th until July 13.
These works are deeply personal with each petal rendered with intention, each shadow a meditation on the impermanence of beauty. Whether you’re a fellow artist, a flower enthusiast, or simply someone looking to experience art rooted in nature, I’d love for you to see the pieces in person.
One of my featured peony pieces “Pretty in Pink” was recently included in the Picton Gazette, which felt like a meaningful acknowledgment of the emotional connection I have with this flower.
"Pretty in Pink", original watercolour painting (pink peonies) on Arches hot-pressed paper, 640 gsm, Framed 33 1/8 in (w) x 29 1/8 in (h), available at Melt Studio and Gallery
Final Thoughts
Peonies aren’t just flowers they’re heirlooms, storytellers, and symbols of enduring beauty. Whether you grow them in a backyard garden or admire them in a vase, peonies remind us to slow down and savour the elegance that only nature can provide.
So, the next time you see a peony bloom, take a moment. You’re not just looking at a flower; you're witnessing centuries of admiration in full, fragrant colour.
Peonies remind me that beauty doesn’t have to shout, it can bloom quietly, and still move you deeply. I hope my paintings capture just a little of that magic. And I hope they offer you a moment to breathe, reflect, and reconnect with nature, with art, and perhaps with yourself.
In Latin, the word for “to bloom” is florere, and the peony, in all its florid glory, teaches us to do just that, not forever, but fully. Whether growing wild or captured in pigment and paper, Paeonia invites us to notice more deeply, feel more freely, and honour what is fleeting.
And perhaps that is the true joy of painting peonies not to possess them, but to witness them, to let them live again in the watercolour’s soft breath, long after their petals have fallen.
"The Future is Pink", original watercolour painting (pink peonies) on Arches hot-pressed paper, 640 gsm, framed, 36 7/8 in (w) x 21 1/2 in (h), available at Melt Studio and Gallery
Thank you for letting me share a bit of my journey.