I was out early yesterday morning, along with the birds and the mosquitoes, snipping a few peonies before the day heated up (which it did!) to attenpt a big, blowsy case of pink and red. Along the way, I also made two snips of a mock range (Philadelphus ‘Starbright’) just this weekend coming into bloom. In all, Four varieties of peony – only one that I know the name of (‘Bowl of Beauty’ – you’ll likely recognize it).
At first I arranged them in a Blue Mountain Pottery urn – it was a bit top heavy though, both in appearance and in reality, so I grabbed the lot and plunked them into a large Blue Mountain Pottery vase. Much better, though perhaps not so ‘artful.’ My apologies for the lighting on the latter – it was high noon!
The bees were out early yesterday, as well as the birds and mosquitoes, but it seems they were just trying to sip some of the dew from the morning flowers!
I hope your peonies are blloming as lovely in your garden as they are in mine! To see more vases of colourful flowers from all over, please visit Cathy’s page: Rambling in the Garden.
Nice to enjoy your peonies today. Mine bloomed earlier here in North Carolina.
Lovely peonies, that red one is sumptuous.
Sumptuous is good! Huge and heavy are other adjectives I’ve used – the stem alone is weighty.
What bounty, Chris, and I imagine the fragrance will be divine, especially with the philadelphus as well. Thanks for sharing
Thank you – yes, the fragrance kinda bowls you over if you stand close!
Your peonies are spectacular. Peonies are my holy grail. They stubbornly refuse to bloom in my area of Southern California but I still haven’t given up trying to get them there.
Keep trying! It’s amazing how much gardeners will do for a few weeks (or days) of spectacular blooms, isn’t it?
I love peonies, but have not grown any in my current garden (UK)…….. yet! Your vase has inspired me to get some.
Peonies are so beautiful – silky and fragrant, what’s not to love?
Absolutely nothing!
How . . . Eastern.
Some of the naturalized exotics are from Eastern North America because that is where the prospectors of the Gold Rush came from. Mock orange grows somewhat wild around the towns in the redwood forests. It does not naturalize enough to get far from town.
I’m just laughing. Thanks, I needed that!
‘Eastern’ is funny? I intend to get to the East someday; not likely anywhere in Ontario, but more like Vermont of that region. I have always been fascinated with the flora there. It is so foreign; except for black locust and mock orange of course.