JUNE - JAPANESE FLOWER CALENDAR
Peony - Botan
The Peony and the Iris flower at the same time so May and June can be interchangeable. Like the Iris the peony is used in many traditional arrangements and often used together with Iris in the Rimpa designs.
Originating in China the peony was introduced to Japan in the 8th century, it now grows in profusion both in Japan and China where it has been cultivated for hundreds of years. Peonies can be either herbaceous or tree peonies and both have meanings such as honour, wealth and riches, used both together they mean honour and riches. The herbaceous peony alone has a much gentler meaning of bashful and shy and is used in romantic art and gestures, the bedroom walls of the Shogans Palace in Kyoto has beautiful wall paintings of peonies.
The Japanese call the Peony the Queen of the flowers but China refers to the peony as the King of the flowers. The peony has been used for centuries in all forms of eastern art.
Haiku for Peony
The peony has fallen
A few scattered petals
Lie one on another
Buson
