Community Corner

Beautiful Blooms Begin In Middlefield

One of late spring's divine displays is beginning to bloom in Middlefield.

For more than 20 years, row-after-row of Robert Birdsey's peonies have blossomed like a fireworks show on the Fourth of July, only the dramatic show arrives about a month earlier.

Birdsey's unique varieties are well documented - he was interviewed by the Hartford Courant in 2004 - and have stood the test of time.

"He has a few that are at least 100 years old, maybe 120 years old," says Esther Bernhart, Birdsey's daughter.

At 93, Birdsey still enjoys the flowers that he planted as a retirement project starting in 1989, his daughter said.

Although there are no private tours of the garden, a slow drive down Laurel Brook Road and a whiff of the fragrant scent should suffice.



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