绝代只西子，众芳唯牡丹

Ever since I started to recite Tang poems when I was 3 years old, I have learned that peony is a beautiful flower. It appeared repeatedly in many famousTang poems, regarded as the queen of all flowers and the national flower of China. It's a shame that I have never come across our national flower in person, because they typically grow in northern China. I'm excited to have found them in a local farm market in Seattle. Here is my $5 bouquet of peonies. Aren't they beautiful?