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By Pauline Masson –
When you think of family heirlooms that have a hold on their owners your thoughts might not turn to something as short-lived as a cut flower. But for one Pacific resident, a particular gorgeous pink peony has bloomed in her garden each spring for the past 53 years. Yes, 53 years.
Cousins of this peony also bloom in the garden of Mary’s brother and sister-in-law John and Vickie Cox and her sisters Barbara Latham and Gail Brisker.
Mary’s garden occupies a spacious yard at the northwest corner of Birk Circle in the City Park. In traditional family flower garden style, rather than being lined in neat rows, the clusters of individual plants each occupy their own irregular plot, creating complimentary waves of color that would not be out of place in a Monet water color.
Strollers in the park can often be seen lined along the yard fence gazing at the spectacle. If Mary happens to be working in the garden they may linger. As avid a conversationalist as she is a gardener, Mary shares the life cycle of each plant as one might describe the activities of one’s children.
When I visited her last Wednesday, she was apologetic that her precious peonies had been beat up a bit the night before. The recent heavy rains took a toll on the smorgasbord of color, indiscriminately claiming its share of petals from the rows and clusters of flowers. But, as luck would have it, her sister-in-law Vickie had sent her a photograph of a bouquet of the family heirloom peonies in all their glory.
“When she knew it was going to rain she went out and cut some of the peonies when they were at their most beautiful,” Mary said. “She sent me a picture of the bouquet.”
She struggled with the collection of photos on her cellphone to show me Vickie’s picture. Finally giving up, she returned to the story of the peonies.
“They make the most wonderful bouquet because they smell wonderful,” she said. “I’ll show you.” She went inside and brought a bucket overflowing with recently cut flowers, including two of the huge pink peonies. “Just sniff,” she said.
I’ve been visiting Mary’s garden every year since I came to Pacific in 1987. Hundreds of blossoms – allium, dames rocket, irises, roses and more varieties of peonies than she can recall – burst forth in a sea of pink, purple, lavender, yellow and red to welcome in the new season each spring.
But Mary’s favorite is her mother’s peony. It’s a big, gorgeous pink flower that can reach eight inches across with a huge puffy center. This is the flower that Mary has been nurturing since 1959.
That was the year that Mary and her family moved to Pacific from Evansville, Indiana. In preparing for the move, Mary’s mother Laura Cox went into the yard and dug up her favorite flower and brought it along.
Laura Cox planted the pink peony in the yard of their first Pacific house at Fifth and Union streets. When they moved to Lake Takewitha, she again dug up the peony and replanted in her new yard at the lake. When Mary married Jim Miller and moved from her parent’s home, she carried along a cutting of the peony.
When Laura Cox died Mary went the Lake Takewitha yard and collected four starts from the sumptuous flower, one each for herself, her brother and sisters.
I’ve written about Mary’s flower garden several times over the years. We’re blessed with its location there at the corner of the park where we can enjoy it every season.
“It’s a spring garden,” Mary explained. “Intended to open the season.”
