Folks often say that tomatoes are the gateway plants to becoming a gardener. The idea is that people get truly hooked on this hobby of ours once they grow something they can eat. And homegrown tomatoes . . . well, there’s something truly magical about picking a handful of ‘Sun Gold’ cherry tomatoes and popping them into your mouth.

But tomatoes weren’t my gateway plant. That honor belongs to peonies.

I grew up in a family that gardened quite a bit, but most of our energy was spent on the vegetable beds. That meant there were obligatory chores that came from the maintenance of those plots, like endless hours of weeding in the hot August sun. Perhaps it’s because of these core traumas—I mean memories—that I never looked to tomatoes as a reason to start gardening for myself. Instead, it was while watering 2-gallon pots of ‘Sarah Bernhardt’ peonies at the local garden center that I caught the gardening bug. I fell instantly in love with the huge, fragrant, blousy blooms of that alluring perennial. Using my next paycheck, I purchased one and brought it home to plant. The rest is history.

As the years went by, I became a homeowner, planted a garden, moved, planted another garden, and so on. But I always made sure to have a few peonies in the mix. I’ve heard all the arguments against them: a short bloom time, a susceptibility to botrytis, the large price tag, etc. To me these are all things that can be overlooked. Peonies are stunning while in bloom, and if you stagger your varieties, the show can extend for several weeks. A little garden cleanup in fall around their crowns, and diseases can easily be avoided. And if you think peonies are expensive, I have two words for you: Japanese maples.

And let us not forget that peonies are reasonably deer resistant, which you can read more about in 32 Plants for Sun and Shade That the Deer Won’t Devour. In that feature article, author Karen Chapman extols the virtues of numerous plants deer avoid, and one of those happens to be her favorite peony, ‘Coral Charm’.

In another feature article, Dwarf Tomatoes Produce Abundant Fruit With a Small Plant, you’ll read all about Scott Daigre’s affinity for dwarf tomatoes. For Scott (as for many of you, I’m sure), tomatoes were the gateway plant into gardening. He has maintained that youthful adoration into adulthood, writing books and lecturing extensively on the subject and even orchestrating Tomatomania!, the world’s largest tomato seedling sale.

I’d still take a peony any day over a tomato plant—and that’s saying something, because I love BLTs. True garden beauty is in the eye of the beholder, I guess.

However, find me a deer-proof tomato and maybe I’ll rethink my stance.

—Danielle Sherry, executive editor

Issue 217 is available to read now

See the articles Danielle references in her letter:

32 Plants for Sun and Shade That the Deer Won’t Devour

Dwarf Tomatoes Produce Abundant Fruit With a Small Plant

Web Extras from Issue #217

Fine Gardening Recommended Products

Berry & Bird Rabbiting Spade, Trenching Shovel

Fine Gardening receives a commission for items purchased through links on this site, including Amazon Associates and other affiliate advertising programs.

Ideal Tool for All Gardeners Use: Our heavy duty trenching shovel is designed by a professional gardening tool designer. Lifetime Durability: This heavy duty drain spade is made of high-quality stainless steel, it is very strong and durable, even if it is used for high-strength work, it will not bend. Ergonomic Wood Handle: The handle of this planting spade is made of ash hardwood harvested from FSC-certified forests and has an ergonomically streamlined design, making it very suitable for everyone's hands. Multi-Use: This digging shovel is generally used for digging trenches, digging holes, transplanting, edging, moving compost, cutting thick turf and furrowing. The sharp blade allows you to cut, scoop, dig, lift and dice in hard soil.

Buy at Amazon

Gardener's Log Book from NYBG

Fine Gardening receives a commission for items purchased through links on this site, including Amazon Associates and other affiliate advertising programs.

This weatherproof five-year log book includes the following features: · Sturdy waterproof cover to protect pages from rain and muddy soil · Lined pages and gridded paper for plotting beds · Five years of 12-month bloom and harvest grids for recording what you planted and when · Authoritative appendices on composting, pruning, pest and disease control, and container gardening · Useful reminders by season on fertilizing, mulching, and transplanting · Space for listing your favorite sources and suppliers.

Buy at Amazon

A.M. Leonard Deluxe Soil Knife & Leather Sheath Combo

Fine Gardening receives a commission for items purchased through links on this site, including Amazon Associates and other affiliate advertising programs.

MULTITASKING DUAL EDGES: a deep serrated edge and a tapered slicing edge ideal for tough or delicate cuts. DURABLE 6-inch stainless steel blade withstands 300 lbs of pressure. TWINE CUTTING NOTCH, DEPTH GAUGE MARKINGS & spear point - no need to switch tools when using this garden knife. LEATHER SHEATH: heavy duty, protective, clip on sheath to keep your knife convenient and secure. LIFETIME WARRANTY.

Buy at Amazon