Here Are Some Lovely Peonies to Take Your Mind Off of Donald Trump
I feel that right about now we all need something calming and beautiful to look at. And back in early June there was a lot of beauty at the Oshawa Peony Garden outside Toronto.
In fact, the Oshawa Peony Garden has about 300 varieties of peonies, like ‘Requiem’ above.
‘Chocolate Soldier’
‘America’ – I have this one in my own garden.
‘Silver Dawn’
‘Illini Warrior’ – are you paying attention, Rose?
‘Pink Firefly’
Like the poppies from The Wizard of Oz, the peonies of Oshawa lulled us into a sort of trance in which we took photographs rather than slept.
This Peony Garden is part of the larger Oshawa Valley Botanical Garden, which features a stream where small children hunted for crayfish.
There were also some truly enormous lilacs (Syringa vulgaris) in bloom, sweetening the air all around them.
There. Feel better?
gardeninacity 
Yes! 🙂 I’d never seen so many peonies in one place!
I know, now I think of Toronto as Peonyland.
Mmmmmm. Thanks!
You’re welcome.
Jealous, jealous, jealous. Greedy, greedy, greedy.
Know how you feel.
Ha!! Well, it mostly worked… They are gorgeous and cheery, unlike the other subject in your title.
You’re right, peonies are very cheerful flowers.
I did not remember that lilac. What a beauty.
And we were there when it was at its peak.
Yes, Jason. Thank you.
I’m glad.
Yes the perfect distraction! If only I could grow peonies! I do have peony envy!!!! As to the Donald I to live in my own little reality! And just now I hope mine wins!!!!
I have only a few peonies but they have gradually grown on me. I too hope our reality wins, I am pretty convinced it is the closest to objective reality.
I’m very envious of such peonies, so beautiful, and so many of them! I don’t think I would be able to decide on a colour..thanks for the distraction!
I think I like the white and yellow peonies best.
as for Trump: you could have posted thorny shrubs and it still would have worked…..
Very true.
Thanks Jason. It worked. And I definitely feel better: “Peonies trump Trump!”
Now if I could only cruise through this presidential election season sans Cruz.
And I’d pay a fortune in rubies if I could ignore Rubio.
Your title had me laughing. Trump’s recent statement was on BBC radio 4 news this morning. Now, I’m British and find US politics confusing at the best of times but surely he is not a credible frontrunner is he?! The man’s a crackpot. Ooops – sorry! Back to your beautiful peonies. Ah, there. That’s better. They are sumptuous. 🙂
Depends what you mean by “credible”. He does sound like a crackpot, but I think he is something more sinister. And there are a lot of crackpots in this country.
There are worrying parallels between his rhetoric and that of last century in Europe. The politics of fear, ignorance and hate. Fingers crossed that sanity prevails amongst the electorate.
Gorgeous peonies, I am mad on them.
I always thought that someone with such a silly name and such a silly hairdo was a bit of a joke. Not funny now though. Downright sinister.
Exactly so.
Ha ha love it 🙂 and love some of your readers comments too! We are the laughing stock of the world right about now 🙂
We have to either laugh or cry. It’s getting harder to keep laughing.
Yes, even for a few minutes as I look at these beautiful pictures. That lilac is possibly the largest I have ever seen. I would love to be a nose length from it.
The scent was wonderful and powerful.
Hi Jason,
Such lovely peonies. The lilac is the biggest I´ve ever seen. The scent must be intoxicating. I don´t know what to say about Trump. Hopefully he will not be the candidate for the Republicans. But he is scary…
It was the biggest and the most floriferous.
Lovely, Jason.Thank you.
Any time!
Thanks for the peony retaliation. An excellent reminder that we need to spread love, not hate. 🙂
I think of it more as peony therapy.
Those are some peonies, especially Chocolate Soldier! And your ploy worked. I didn’t think of Donald Trump once while I was looking at those peonies.
‘Chocolate Soldier’ is especially nice and very different.
I love peonies, and these are very special. Thanks for the peaceful interlude.
You’re welcome!
These are gorgeous, especially ‘Chocolate Soldier.’ Trump is frightening.
Agreed on both counts.
Thank you, thank you for this, as I’m about ready to sign off from social media altogether. The lilacs are glorious.
Don’t sign off alltogther! Just be selective.
If I could give you 15 likes for this post I would.
Turning off the TV and coming straight here was a smart move.
Glad to be of help.
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Oh….I am now beautifully soothed! That awful creature is all over our news as well….unbloomingbelievable! xxx
My thoughts exactly.
This was a good day to gaze on some lovely peonies. I need more in my garden.
Sometimes I think the same thing, but I have mixed feelings about peonies. I would not want to devote a huge amount of space to them.
Jason, thank you for your diversionary tactics. The peonies and lilac worked for the time I was reading your post. Enjoyed the comments too. We can’t get away from him for very long, it seems. . .
I’m afraid he will be a big presence in the news for many months to come.
I wonder if naughty gardeners are sent to peony gardens when they die, so they can stake peonies for eternity. They’re beautiful and I love them but staking all of those plants would be a bit much.
That’s one of the reasons I will never have a large number of peonies in our garden.
Much better, thanks
Glad to hear it.
Your pictures certainly trump the chump
Well said!
Isn’t it amazing how many varieties of Peonies there are, and how each everyone pulls you in with a deep breath ? Soul therapy….thank you!!
You’re welcome!
Love this post, and it couldn’t be more timely. They are all beautiful, but America jumped out at me – gorgeous. I think this political situation right now including the entire cast of characters is discouraging with Trump leaving us to shake our heads just a little more than the rest. I think the news heads should start talking about flowers and we might all be better for it. :-).
As I mentioned in the post, I have ‘America’ in our garden – it’s easy to take care of and seems to tolerate a little shade.
Oh gosh yes — we need all the botanical help possible, because that man is just a horror show that seems to get worse every week. 😦 This latest is simply (or should be) beyond the pale. Kudos to the university in Scotland who today stripped him of the honorary degree they’d given him; now if only he would strip himself out of American politics!
The Scottish government has also stripped him of his honorary ambassador title, and he has called them ungrateful.
Enjoyed the peonies, Jason (lovely photos, Judy), but the comparison was even better. As someone above wrote, you trumped the chump. And long may the trumping continue.
Keep hope alive.
The peonies are wonderful, but that lilac bush is just absolutely stunning. I can imagine how gorgeous that scent must have been. Oh yes, that was great therapy – thanks for sharing, Jason!
Lilac – the ultimate aromatherapy.
I do feel better! Thank you!
So glad.
Really beautiful! Mr. Trump has even made our news over here, surely no-one takes him seriously, I’d rather think about beautiful peonies!
I wish no one took him seriously. But I too prefer to think about the peonies.
Yeah, that was an amazing collection of Peonies! Great headline, too. 🙂
Thanks!
I love those huge lilacs…we have some old fashioned ones around the area like that but I have never seen a whole garden for peonies…
It’s quite stunning but I hate to think of the damage a heavy rain at the wrong time might do. Although they do have a collection that blooms over a long season.
I do hope you will continue with the distractions in the coming year. It looks like they will be needed more than ever.
I’m sure you’re right about that, so yes I hope to continue.