FIBERGUY

This one is a dark maroon red color. It’s the last thing I see when I leave home and the first I see when I arrive back- from neighbor Margaret.

One of the prior owners planted this peony – and in the entirely wrong place – nestled under an ash tree with little. The brave little thing clung to life but never thrived. When we lost the ash tree to last fall’s ice storm, we were glad that we had moved it. Now it lives in the back of the garden – Peony Lane – and is thriving in the full sun that peonies so much love. And the bloom opened even more when we cut it and brought it in – with the most heavenly smell. One neighbor said she hadn’t smelled a peony like that since her grandmother’s garden. Lovely, just lovely.

One of the two we bought at the show yesterday -the blossom opened overnight.

Today we went to the annual peony show at Countryside Gardens. (Actually, we showed up last Saturday too because we read the date wrong.) Anyway, I thought you might enjoy some of these photos from today’s visit. We got two new plants today, Red Charm and Do Tell. Can’t wait to see them joining the rest of our peony beauties which are just coming into bloom now.

Gorgeous,no? At first we thought it was Sarah Bernhardt, but now we realize it is Gay Paree, loaded with blooms this year.

Another gorgeous snow-white peony, this time from the neighbor on the other side, Phyllis. These have just a tiny touch of dark red on some of their center petals. We do have our own white peonies we are anxiously awaiting to bloom. Maybe one day soon I’ll have a picture of those soon.

I cannot take credit for these – they are from our neighbor Margaret’s yard. Aren’t they a sight?

I thought I would leave you with one final glorious picture from this weekend. Our neighbor Margaret grows several patches of poppies along the west side of our yard. They are so ethereal and vibrant, flamboyant even, yet tissue thin. I adore them.

We had a wonderful Sunday – shopping, gardening, cooking, dinner with neighbors (who brought a homemade strawberry-rhubarb pie warm from the oven!), lots of play time with Juliette and even enough time for some chores. Perfect, just perfect,

The first potato salad of the season, my own personal “starting line” – summer is officially here! Tonight we will share it with friends and neighbors, along with some grilled chicken and mint tea from our very own patch.

She’s been teasing us for days, threatening to open but not doing so. This morning when I walked into the kitchen to get my coffee I glanced out the window and this is what I saw. A lovely way to start a Saturday morning – iris “Beverly Sills.”