There is something special about the very first peony bloom of the season – that initial intake of its perfume is a collision of beauty, nostalgia, and all the hope of summer to come. It brings me back to Suzie’s childhood birthday parties, to the garden in her side-yard, where I’d escape when the other kids proved to be too much for me to take. Despite the risk of ants in the blooms, I’d always lean over and deeply inhale their magnificent fragrance.
The Itoh peonies are full of bud and ready to burst, but that’s a show for another day. For now, this one single peony is enough. An old-fashioned bloom who is nameless but no less beautiful in its anonymity.
