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 | Peony Valley One of the original features of the nursery which we have been very keen to reinstate is "Peony Valley", a 10 acre field gently sloping on each side to its middle through which runs a brook. This field had held a representative selection of the best of Kelways peonies since the 1880's. The London Penzance railway line crosses the end of the valley and in the nursery's heyday a temporary station called "Peony Valley Halt" was erected every June. Trains would stop there and Ladies and Gentlemen would stroll through the lines of flowers taking in the scent, maybe purchasing tins of 'Peony Valley Talcum Powder and Beauty Products' before boarding the train again.
When we took over the nursery in 1994 there was about an acre of peonies in the valley but they were badly in need of dividing and there was a persistent problem with weeds. We cultivated the fallow soil in 4 acres of the valley abutting the railway and began planting in the winter of 1995. We planted up to 20 plants of each variety in 600 foot long rows with a 10 ft wide path between each row. We fitted in 320 varieties. The plants established quickly and growth was encouraging.
We use this collection in three ways. Firstly we approached the NCCPG as we felt this important historical collection should have some national recognition. Secondly we open the collection to the public when the peonies are in flower just as it had been 120 years earlier. Thirdly we have rationalized our peony production, and most of our 500 varieties have been retired to the valley where they could quietly grow and flower throughout the millennium.
In 2000 our application for a National Collection was approved. By this time the valley was flowering a picture. We spent many days at flowering time checking the flowers against their descriptions in James Kelway's copperplate handwriting in the enormous 9kg tome entitled Kelways "Peony Bible". This has proved a mammoth task as inevitably some rogues were found and some varieties appeared different to their original description especially in colour. Sometimes only one plant was left of a particular variety. Other times pleasant surprises were made. We thought "Kelways' White Lady", had been lost forever, but she turned up within 'King Arthur'! We began a friendly correspondence with Margaret Baber who holds a national collection of Peonies in Gloucester, about discrepancies with different varieties. The problem we both have with the older Victorian varieties of peonies is that there are few surviving written descriptions, even fewer photographs, and of course no surviving Kelways to help.
Our entire collection of over 2,500 transparencies has been transferred onto a computer database which also holds all the data from the "Peony Bible" and all production data. We are also endeavoring to find the biographical information behind the names of the varieties. Some are very straightforward, others more taxing. For example, who were 'Mrs Beerbohm Tree', and 'Lottie Dawson Rea', and how did they come to have peonies named for them?
We also maintain a third rather more private peony collection as caretakers of the Kelway family memorial in our local churchyard. There are two underground vaults where approximately 25 family members are buried with a 12ft high needle-like monolith in gleaming white marble beside the main road through Langport. We have planted the ground above the vaults with 40 of James Kelway's most supreme peonies, and have included where possible peonies named for the people buried here. Reading the inscriptions, particularly of those who died tragically young, it has been quite poignant reuniting some of these special plants with the family, to whom those of us at Kelways today, owe so much.
Peony Valley is open throughout June each year during normal Plant Centre opening hours.
We always suggest phoning first if traveling some distance, as heavy rain can sometimes temporarily lessen the display.
The area is not easily accessible by wheelchair, although in dry weather you may drive down to the collection (by arrangement).
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