Peonies [Hardcover]

Jane Fearnley-Whittingstall (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1, 1999

With 200 colour photos, illustrations and plans this book celebrates the beauty and influence of the peony and its place in art and history as well as providing comprehensive information for gardeners wishing to choose and grow the right variety for their garden detailing their fragrance, colour, flowering periods and hardiness.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Jane Fearnley-Whittingstall's Peonies is a ravishing book--the sort of book that you covet from the moment you see it--but it isn't just lovely to look at, it is also a wonderful read. It tells the long and fascinating history of this most beautiful of flowers, tracing its origins in the wild to its cultivation in the Imperial gardens of China and Japan and its journey to the West. The characters encountered along the way include an empress who arranged for the planting of many thousands of tree peonies, yet murdered her baby daughter and in her 70s took two brothers half her age as lovers, and a French missionary who spent most of his life in China collecting over 1,500 species of peony, most of which were sent back to France. As befits its subject, the book is lavishly illustrated with paintings and photographs that are both informative and appealing.

But this is not just a wonderful story well told. It is also a serious work of reference giving comprehensive information on peony varieties, how to grow them, where to find them, and where to see them. It's written with the international reader in mind, so references include information relevant to the U.S., Australia, and New Zealand as well as Great Britain and Europe. --Stephanie Donaldson

From the Publisher

With their dramatically showy flowers, peonies are among the most sumptuous blooms in the garden. These lush perennials work their enchantment every day of the year in this gorgeous-and practical-full-color gardening book. Award-winning garden designer Jane Fearnley-Whittingstall provides advice on planting 200 varieties of peonies; extensive lists detailing size, flower shape, and color of both tree and herbaceous peonies; garden plans; and a Top Ten list selecting peonies for fragrance, cut flowers, autumn color, early, late, and long flowering, robustness, and much more. With stunning illustrations and information on peon ies' history around the world, their depiction in fine and decorative art, and their use in 20th-century gardens created by Gertrude Jekyll, William Robinson, and other notable designers, Peonies will delight gardeners everywhere. 200 photographs in full color 733/8 x 933/4" Jane Fearnley-Whittingstall's garden designs have won awards at England's renowned Chelsea Flower Show. Author of several garden -ing books, she lives in Wotton-under-Edge, Gloucestershire, England.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 384 pages
• Publisher: Harry N. Abrams (November 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0810943549
• ISBN-13: 978-0810943544
• Product Dimensions: 10 x 7.8 x 1.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,077,176 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

54 of 54 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Peonies - a love affair, May 9, 2000

By 

Susan Cook (Sonoma, California) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Peonies (Hardcover)

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."

4.0 out of 5 stars Amazing Peony photos, December 7, 2011

By 

SWa - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Peonies (Hardcover)

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.