Peonies

We came home just in time to catch the end of the peony blooms- which I was so grateful for- they are one of my favorites- so sweet smelling and lush- there are not a lot of large blooming flowers in our yard- and the peonies make up for that to me.

I made some peony water for baths from the petals- it only keeps for a week though I may try to freeze some for a winter time pick me up- I got the recipe from my copy of Growing and Using the Healing Herbs- by Gaea and Shandor Weiss (1985, Rodale Press) a thrift store purchase that has come in very handy.

Recipe for Peony Water
taken from Growing and Using the Healing Herbs

1/2 cup macerated peony petals to 1 cup cool distilled water. let sit for 30 min. then gently heat for 10 min, strain and store in the fridge for up to one week.

The scent of this stuff dissipates quickly in a warm bath- a facial/body spritz would be a great use of this too.