The Solstice and Heritage Days have come and passed and summer arrived in a blaze this year! Spring really flew by this year with Mother Earth’s daily miracles.
The daffodils, hyacinths, tulips, redbuds, are a sweet memory. Oh, and then there were the peonies.
I just finished rereading the fine article in the Community Brief that Darcie Shinberger wrote about last year’s visit by Kirk and Christie Wettengel. Kirk is a descendent of Charles N.
Wettengel who established a rural nursery, Peonydale located north of Macomb in the late 1800’s. Christie and Kirk brought artifacts to photograph and some to loan to the Western Illinois Museum last year, As a young child, “Charlie” was interested in the natural world; walking to and from school, he dug plants and brought them to the farm.
As he grew, he saved money and in 1898 when 18, he purchased his first iris. He continued to invest in plants including peonies and in 1910 held a plant sale in Macomb to earn $75-a large sum in those days. In 1915, his father gave him 7 acres to raise and sell commercially at “Peonydale”. At one point the nursery grew 600 varieties of peonies he sold in the US and world. He developed 11 that are registered with the American Peony Society. In 1935 a newspaper reported there were 200,000 different plants growing. It became a tourist attraction during the growing season.
My husband Richard and I lived next door to the Peonydale farm for a short time in the 80’s. Since I began researching the property and family I have been on the hunt for a peony from this historic nursery.
As a youngster, Kirk visited his grandparents, Thelma and Arthur Wettengel, at Peonydale in the summer and became good friends with the children of Janie and Ebon Irish who lived on a nearby farm. Their daughter, Julie Irish is an old friend of ours. Janie and Thelma became very close over the years; they enjoyed rock hounding and antique plundering together.
Last year Kirk reconnected with Julie and her siblings Karen and John after many years, and visited their farm that is now John’s. After the Macomb visit, Julie called me with some news and a question.
During their visit, John casually, mentioned that he had a very old peony at his farm. And it came from Peonydale!
I was gobsmacked! But, how did he know for sure?
The backstory--Thelma gave it to Janie maybe 50-60 years ago, before she moved back to Oklahoma, and Janie planted it at the Irish farm. At some point it became shaded so John transplanted it in the sun off the front sidewalk. Now, as it’s growing under and over the walk it needs to be moved, but didn’t think he could get it out.
Julie’s question for me was, “Sue, do you think you could dig it up?”
Last Spring, Julie Irish called to ask me if I knew on to dig it up, divide and transplant this peony.
My first thought was I could actually kill this historic plant.
