The peony has long been a symbol of beauty that is both powerful and inwardly held. In Chinese tradition, where it has been revered for more than a thousand years, the peony is known as the king of flowers. It signifies wealth, rank, feminine beauty, and the fullness of the season. During the Tang dynasty, the peony became associated with imperial favor and cultural refinement, because it required patience and care to grow well. A peony rewards devotion.

In European floriography of the nineteenth century, the peony took on a more psychological meaning. It came to symbolize bashfulness and emotional reserve, often linked to the way ants gather at its nectar-rich buds, as though the flower draws attention it never sought. To be beautiful, to be seen, and to feel the weight of the gaze. And yet, the peony blooms fully anyway.