Peonies

I'm what I call an in-between gardner, neither expert nor novice. So, when I started my search for peonies, I wanted a book that offered both good botanical information as well as really good photographs. After all, it would be difficult to find a local source to view all the myriad different peonies in person. Given that Jane Fearnley-Whittingstall was repeatedly referred to as the expert on peonies, I chose her book. Sadly, I was very disappointed that there seemed to be more reproductions of artwork (not necessarily of peonies) than there were of actual plants, and the photos themselves were rather drab and uninspiring. In fact, on page 94 there was a black and white drawing of a semi-nude Clara Maria Pope, a botanical artist in the early 1800s, lying in bed. Really??? This book has a lot of historical information about peonies, which is interesting, but I was expecting many more photos. In fairness, she includes a fairly extensive list of the various peonies currently available, but a written description of color and habit is simply inadequate up against a photo. This book was published in 1999 so there's no excuse for not having included lots of good quality photos. Therefore, I would not recommend this book except, perhaps, to die-hard peony lovers, who already know a lot but are looking for more historical information.

This is a nice book on peonies and nicely written and organized.TWCL

I paint and I'm always searching for remarkable and beautiful images. This book has them in spades! I adore peonies and if our weather and soil were more forgiving I would plant many more, at least I can happily paint them! This is a great book for any peony lover, artist OR gardener.

For any lover of peonies, this a heavenly book. I am thrilled to have discovered it and to have it in my library.

Nice pictures and information on some of the classic varieties, which stay in commerce much longer than with some other kinds of plants.

Awesome book. Very informative

I love this book. Excellent purchase for the price.

If you are a peony lover, you will treasure this book. Jane Fearnley-Whittingstall not only knows her peonies and traces their fascinating history through the imperial courts of China and Japan, but she interweaves this with a history of how peonies have been used in paintings and porcelain. The beautiful pictures included not only show the various peony cultivars, but show the peony as it is used in Asian porcelains, paintings and European paintings. This book and its photographs are so lovely, that I expected to pay much more for it. It's a bargain, if you are a peony lover. Al Rogers "Peonies" is a bit more explicit about growing and cultivation, but this book compliments his, because of the romance it brings to the peony. It is also practical, listing the cultivars, showing many pictures, and recommending the more successful cultivars. If you love peonies and want to know more about their place in history, I heartily recommend Jane Fearnley-Whittingstall's "Peonies."

When you don't get what you thought you would, there is a bit of disappointment. I was hoping for more details on cultivars and science-based extrapolations. This book is more of a story, telling from previous generations and bringing together Peonies in a conventional old-school guide to gardeneing with them. Actually an enjoyable read, but does seem like a mid-20th century gardening guide, rather than an enlightening approach to the genus Paeonia. It lacks organisation, as well, hoping about, which is fine for a story, but make for poor reference. Read it for the joy of sharing, rather than the thirst for information.

il libro è riccamente illustrato con splendide foto a colori e riproduzioni di dipinti e disegni. Interessante anche da leggere, non solo per chi desidera coltivare questi fiori.