Tree peony

I pass a small garden each morning as I walk along Queen Victoria Street. I think that it is called Cleary Gardens.

The road was commissioned in 1861 to streamline the approach to the central banking district, and provided for through the Metropolitan Improvement Act. Costing over £1,000,000, it remains a flagship street within the 'Square Mile' financial district of the City of London. And it is the most direct route to work.

I pass the garden each day. The last few days I have noticed the Tree peonies. They are stunning.

And now thanks to Google I know a lot more about the gardens. I will visit them again.

During the Middle Ages the area was the hub of the wine trade, a tradition evoked by sensory flowers, shrubs and climbers, suggesting bouquets of wines, and a miniature vineyard on the terrace. Separated into three tiers, the garden’s wooden arbours, shaded seats and large lawn (which covers the site of a Roman bathhouse) make it the ideal spot for a time-out.

The garden is named after Fred Cleary, who, during the 1970’s was instrumental in encouraging the planting of trees and the creation of new gardens throughout the square mile. During the blitz, the house which once stood here was destroyed exposing the cellars. A shoemaker called Joe Brandis decided that he would create a garden from the rubble, collecting mud from the river banks and transporting soil from his own garden in Walthamstow to the site. His success was such that on 29th July 1949 Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother visited the new garden.

Today Cleary Garden is visited by people from all over the world. Next to the pergola is a bed of Yatsuka Tree peonies, presented to the City by the Japanese Island of Daikonjima as a symbol of goodwill in April 2006.