Spring 2000 Flower Show:
The Chinese Garden and Tree Peony Festival
Over 40,000 visitors came to view the beauties
of China, in their first ever display at a major U.S. botanical
garden. A Chinese garden complete with a moon door and pair
of Mandarin ducks was designed around the blooming specimen
peonies inside the elegant space of the Enid Haupt Conservatory.
Over two hundred and fifty peonies were blooming and on display
during the show, which ran from May 5th to June 4th. The fragrances
were those of Heaven.
In the fall, the entire peony collection was
planted outdoors, in a special section of the garden, and
plans were made to make the Peony Festival an annual outdoor
event. Bloom time will be early May. Call the New York Botanical
Garden for more information about the programs this spring
at 718-817-8700.
Cricket Hill Garden is proud that our plants
were selected for this important collection. As the peonies
mature, and their yearly blooming becomes an event to see,
the classical Chinese custom of the "Peony Festival"
will be transplanted to America. This is the kind of cultural
transference that allows Chinese gardening ideas to be appreciated
here in the U.S., and acts as a bridge to our cultures.
Chinese peonies and other Chinese plants of
distinction will fill the "Peony Festival" with
an exceptionally rich and colorful experience for visitors.
The Chinese tree peony, or the Mudan, is a revered symbol
in Chinese art and culture. Its large, multi-petaled, delicate,
translucent blooms in shades of white, red, rose, pink, magenta,
violet, yellow, and green appear to be expertly crafted of
the finest paper. In China, entire gardens are dedicated to
the Mudan and are among the most cherished in the nation.
The Chinese Garden includes selections like 'Tipsy Imperial
Concubine', 'Better Than Jade With Triple Magic', and 'Great
Winged Butterfly', sequentially forced to feature rare stars
in bloom throughout the show. Chinese ornaments and special
events will complement the Flower Show.
Click
here for more information
