Matelich Anniversary Peony Collection

Matelich Anniversary Peony Collection. . , The Peony Collection showcases a group of plants that has been celebrated through the ages., Peonies have been cultivated for thousands of years for ornament, cut flowers, and perfume. Most species peonies originated in mountainous regions in Asia and Europe. Ancient scholars, including Dioscorides and Pliny the Elder, praised the plants for their medicinal value, and peonies continue to be used today in traditional Chinese medicine., The Matelich Anniversary Peony Collection features more than one hundred fifty different herbaceous peonies, peonies that die back completely to the ground each winter. The Garden's collection of tree peonies can be found near the Peggy Rockefeller Rose Garden.Herbaceous peonies were featured in the first ornamental borders surrounding the Conservatory soon after the founding of The New York Botanical Garden. Beginning in 1916, peonies were incorporated as companion plantings in the Lilac Collection. By 1941 a significant planting of peonies had been placed along the north side of the Conservatory. Almost 40 years later, the collection found its permanent home here along Perennial Garden Way. The peony border was doubled in size in 2015 to accommodate nearly 100 new early- and late-blooming cultivars to create an extended flowering season.