flowering – Peter Donegan Garden Design & Landscaping

I love the peony roses. They were one of my Grandmothers favourites. But they came with so many ‘how and what not’ fables attached it’s infallable…. When my Nan passed away my Mam brought one of these from her garden and planted it in ours. It ‘died off’ shortly after she planted it… but came back up the following season.

I always thought of them as a bit of an old fuddy duddy. They are. And the fable that they hate being disturbed or moved *is* 100% correct. If you can and must, it’s probably best to do so over winter while they are sleeping.

Funny thing, I prefer these to the more common rose. But then again… these aren’t biblically/ botanically roses at all 😉

The paeoniaceae are a genus of over 30 species and they are herbaceous perennials truth be told. ie. they die back but come up year after year… Other than that, the only main thing of note is *if* you do manage to eat some of them [?!!] they will give you a bit of a dickie tummy! The real beauty about these plants is that they can be lifted and divided and passed onto the neighbours…. and what a gift to give!

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laburnum

all over Dublin at this moment in time, the Laburnum is in full flower draping over the park rails of Dublin City Centre. The yellow long draping clusters that you see are those of the often called ‘golden rain’ tree – the laburnum.

Of the leguminosae [the legume or the pea family]/ papilionaceae family. The funny thing is these deciduous trees are classed as poisionous [if ingested] and because of this they generally get left out of the loop.

To put into context the first [that I remember] seeing was [one might say] its half sister the +laburnocytissus adamii, of which I’ve only ever planted maybe 5; of the Laburnum I’ve only ever planted maybe about 10. I’ve found it hard to purchase them in a mature state… and maybe for its poisonous listing I don’t think I’ve ever seen it used in a design specification. But around Dublin City… you simply can’t miss them.

Say what you like, think what you may… no matter what the tree maybe it is pure beauty and one of *my* all time favourites. I even have one planted in my front garden….

The most common listed varieties in Ireland seem to be the Laburnum x waterii [L. alpinum x L. anagyroides] which can grow up to 8m high… but its flowers [racemes] are 20″ long and the Laburnum vossii whose racemes are 24″ long.

Go get one. Be inspired. And enjoy.

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