Category: Everyday Life

Peony tour of Golden Week 2006

May 5th was Children’s Day. Thanks to an acquaintance, we had free admission tickets, so we decided to go to Hakozaki Shrine Flower Garden (Higashi Ward, Fukuoka). Originally, we couldn’t tell the difference between tree peonies (botan) and herbaceous peonies (shakuyaku). So we didn’t know what was the best season for their flowers.

Actually, on Sunday April 16th we took a walk to the Peony Garden (admission free) at the Maizuru Castle remains, Chuo Ward, Fukuoka. At the time, the tree peonies had just started to bloom, so we thought that the peonies in Hakozaki Shrine Flower Garden would be nice during Golden Week. So we went, but the tree peonies were over, and the herbaceous peonies were just in their peak season. We said to ourselves that the tree peony flowers were too big and that we like herbaceous peonies more (which sounds like sour grapes), and looked around the well-maintained garden. The sudden sharp sunshine dazzled our eyes. The peonies which weren’t in the shade looked tired.

By the way, I heard that tree and herbaceous peonies derive from the buttercup family, just like the Christmas rose (which I like so much). If one can say so, I feel their flower shape is similar. But now the botan and shakuyaku belong to the Paeonia family.

Chris basically doesn’t prefer decorative flowers: he seemed to be attracted to the corn cockles (Agrostemma githago) more than to the peonies, and took their picture.

We missed the tree peony’s peak time and felt frustrated about it, so we decided to go to the Peony Garden at Maizuru Castle, too. (It’s not difficult to go from the one to the other: they are both close to subway stations.) Here also the tree peony flowers were over. The herbaceous peonies were flowering, but they seemed to need a few more days to be in full bloom, even through most buds had become chubby.

The Hakozaki Shrine Flower Garden was designed to be good in most seasons, not only shakuyaku and botan. There is a restaurant inside, so it seems the normal sort of garden that charges an admission fee. The Maizuru Castle Peony Garden gives the impression of being one big flower bed, even though some cherry trees are planted in the garden. So we got the feeling that it would be great if the flowers were in full bloom. But we missed out somehow, and we mean to go back there in a few days.

–YS, 6 May 2006

6 May 2006