Do You Say, Pee-O-Nay?

How do you pronounce peony?

I have always pronounced peony as Pee-a-nee. So I’m surprised at how many gardeners I know who say, Pee-O-Nay (accent on the nay) when they pronounce peony. And, even though my Iowa husband often accuses me of speaking with what he calls “the Roseville O” (for non-Minnesotans, it’s a long O that you’ve probably heard Garrison Keillor use when he is in full-Lake Wobegon mode), I cannot stretch out the O on peony without feeling odd.

So, do you say pee-O-nay? And, are your whatever-you-call-thems blooming now?