Hiccups occur when a spasm contracts the diaphragm, a large sheet of muscle that separates the chest cavity from the abdominal cavity. This spasm causes an intake of breath that is suddenly stopped by the closure of the vocal cords (glottis). This closure causes the characteristic hiccup sound.
Deer Resistant? I've seen peonies on several lists of deer-resistant plants. Please share your experience with whether or not the deer leave your peonies alone. We're thinking of putting some in our back yard which does get some deer traffic (we use several products to try to keep them off our plants). Peonies are my husband's favorite flower.
The peony is a perennial flowering plant that can grow to 5 ft.. The large, sometimes fragrant flowers bloom from late spring to early summer and do best in USDA hardiness zones 4 to 9. The peony is generally used for cut flowers or as an accent plant in borders, but can also be grown as a house plant. The seeds are easy to germinate, both in the garden and indoors, but plants grown from seed may not flower for three to seven years.