5 Beautiful Things

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This new feature is designed to inspire you to look at the world around you, to take note of the season at hand and to capture it – in memory or on film – for posterity. I will be choosing five photos each week for Beekman1802.com with this aim in mind. We’re calling the feature, The Five Most Beautiful Things In The World This Week

Martha’s Peony Garden

For Martha Stewart and her extraordinary ambitions – at home and at work – history has often been a reliable and inspiring guide. It was Elizabeth Von Arnim’s 1898 novel, for instance (Elizabeth And Her German Garden) which inspired Martha Stewart’s vast peony garden at her main residence in Bedford, New York.

The novel, which is semi-autobiographical, charts the horticultural struggles and triumphs of a high-society protagonist interested in creating a lavish garden. At her estate in Pomerania, Von Arnim had created an enormous, circular bed of peonies, profusely scented and sheltered within a tall hedge that formed the perimeter to protect the delicate petals from the damaging wind. The circle was more than 300 feet across and Von Arnim’s two daughters were said to have spent many of their summer days enjoying this little paradise, picking the stems for pretty bouquets indoors.

Taking a second look at Martha’s peony garden, then, and the inspiration becomes clear. Martha planted eleven double rows with 22 varieties of herbaceous peony plants, 35 plants in each row. She chose varieties that came in shades of pink (Von Arnim thought red peonies to be “vulgar”) ensuring various flower types: single, semi-double, double and anemone-type blossoms. She staggered their plantings to prolong the blooming season: some bloom earlier than others, extending the amount of time the plants are in blossom. All of the plants were purchased from Roy Klehm, owner of Klehm’s Song Sparrow Nursery in Avalon, Wisconsin.

Martha was so pleased with the results of her peony garden that she began a new tradition: an annual Peony Party! I’ve often imagined how intoxicating the beautiful scent must be when the beds are in full bloom. Peony fragrance is one of my favourites.

 

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Photos:

All photos by Martha Stewart.

 

Andrew Ritchie is the creator of Martha Moments, a blog devoted Martha-Stewart related content and her community of supporters. He lives and works in Toronto, Canada, and has been a longtime friend of Brent & Josh, Beekman 1802 and Sharon Springs. Each week he’ll scour the world (wide web) to find the 5 most beautiful things to inspire you. Follow Andrew on Pinterest.