PROGRESS: Follow the peony-lined road

Not too unlike following the yellow brick road in the 1939 movie “The Wizard of Oz” is the opportunity visitors to Orient have of following the peony lane. If they do that, they’ll see the best of what the small, close-knit Adair County community is all about.

Pella has thousands of tulips and Orient has hundreds of peonies — over 250 clusters of them in one location alone. Many community members still go to great lengths today, decades after they were planted, to keep them looking beautiful when they bloom each May. This year’s peonies started blooming the middle of last week.

Last month, a group of ladies who have been instrumental in keeping these peonies alive got together to talk about the tradition of what is known colloquially as Peony Lane. Officially, it’s East First Street. There are many peonies in other places around town, too.

In 2003, a group of people enrolled in an internship program through Iowa State University Extension and Outreach’s master gardener program drafted a plan to enhance and build up Peony Lane. The grant program was through KCCI Channel 8 in Des Moines.

“We propose the restoration of a beauty spot and hope to create continued interest for those that pass by for many years to come,” the grant application said. “This includes the cleaning up, dividing, planting and maintaining of peony shrubs already present along an abandoned railroad corridor and primary main street in Orient.”

In 2001, the Adair County History Book credits Furman “Cub” Wolfe as the one who started the peony craze in Orient in 1960. Some say it actually began before that.

One goal of the early 2000s project was for there to be flower pots along Peony Lane, and that vision has come to fruition since. The group also wanted a plaque there that would educate visitors on the history of the landmark highlighting the importance it carries for those who call Orient home.

“We were mowing it, keeping it weeded,” Frederick said. “We were there a lot and tried to promote it. Since then, Pumpkin Days — if we can promote this — has become quite a celebration. I think that would help bring in people [to see Peony Lane].”

Lisa Swanson knew before the early 2000s that Peony Lane was there, but she hadn’t paid much attention to it before then.

“It was grass and weeds,” Dixie Moore pointed out. The old railroad bed had ballast from the old railroad tracks that remained along the Peony Lane, which made efforts to maintain the flowers a lot more difficult. Some of the ladies remember playing mud volleyball on a court in the railroad bed and the ballast would cause problems there as well.

Sandy Metzger said her father told her once that Wolfe wanted all people in Orient to plant peonies in their yards, which could be how the tradition started.

“My dad had them no matter where we lived,” Swanson said.

Deb Brown, who moved to Orient right after the pandemic, does not live on Peony Lane but one of the first things she noticed when moving to town one May day was the vibrant peonies that were in her new yard.

“I was just fascinated,” she said. “We live on the north side of town. Hannah Eggman came down and they introduced themselves. She said that her daughter’s favorite thing to do was to drive by our house and look at those peonies.”

Donna Miller described peonies as being attractive because they’re “tough, beautiful and easy to grow.”

The Old Farmer’s Almanac says peonies are perennials that “return every year to take your breath away with the fattest, most scrumptious flowers and lush, green foliage.”

In the 1930s and 40s, plant catalogs listed three peony choices: white, crimson and rose pink. Now there are thousands of varieties that are available.

Peonies are oftentimes connected with visions of prosperity, honor and everlasting love. They’re a popular wedding decoration and special gift option. Some in the Catholic church recognize peonies as the Pentecost Rose.

“They bloom around the time of Memorial Day, so sometimes it’s just perfect and sometimes we get a horrible rain,” Miller said. “If they bloom right, you already have flowers at your loved one’s grave site.”

Swanson said that once they’re planted, they require very little maintenance.

“Weed them and cut them off,” she said.

When the master gardeners were working on the project years ago, they went to over a dozen locations where peonies had been spotted and the group was given permission to transplant them in town, like abandoned farmsteads.

The group of ladies don’t remember whether or not peonies were ever located west of Broad Street, however they used to be much closer to the main north-south thoroughfare than they are now. They hope that one day First Street can be officially renamed Peony Lane. They feel the story of Peony Lane begs for that to happen, and it probably wouldn’t be a huge act for it to happen.

“I think the people of Orient are proud of their town and they want to keep it going,” Frederick said. “Those of us who have been here a long time know of Peony Lane and it’s a part of our town. We want to promote it.”

“It goes back to taking pride in your town,” Swanson added.