What's A Peony? Find Out At Avon Free Public Library

AVON, CT — It's the time of year when everything is growing again, and the local library and garden club are teaming up for a special program about a very unique flower folks can plant this time of year.

A free public talk on peonies will be held Monday, May 11, at 7 p.m. at the Avon Free Public Library, 281 Country Club Road, Avon.

The program, “The World of Peonies,” will be presented by Daniel Furman, co-owner of Cricket Hill Garden in Thomaston.

A peony is a long-lived, hardy flowering perennial plant in the genus Paeonia (the only genus in the Paeoniaceae family), renowned for its large, often fragrant, and lush blooms in spring and early summer.

Native to Asia, Europe, and Western North America, these popular garden plants come in shades of white, pink, red, and yellow

Organizers said the talk will cover identifying, appreciating, and growing peonies, along with their historical uses and cultural significance.

According to event materials, the presentation will trace peonies from medicinal use in China and Europe to their status as symbols of wealth and prestige in Imperial China, and to their current role as a widely adaptable perennial.

The talk will also include practical advice for growing peonies in New England.

The event is co-sponsored by the Garden Club of Avon and the Avon Library.

Attendance is free, and registration is available on the library’s website.

Furman is described as a second-generation specialist in nursery and forest farming.

Since joining the business in 2010, he has expanded peony production and diversified plant offerings to include landscape and forest edibles.

For more information and to register for the program, click on this link.