Thursday, June 10, 2010

The peonies have just finished blooming


There are a handful of flowers I look forward to every year, lilacs are one, peonies another. Both have delicious fragrance as well as beauty, but both have very short bloom periods.

Three years ago I found Shirley Temple as a tiny root at one of the box stores. The photo above shows how she has flourished in my newest lasagna garden.

I've never had six foot tall foxgloves. This year they are huge, leaning this way and that and finally falling over. Note to self: foxgloves do better in leaner soil.



The peony below is Festiva Maxima, quite an old bush that gets too much shade. Hopefully this fall I will have time to move her to a better spot.







The photo below is an unknown red.





A subtle, heartening fragrance
Comes piercing the warm hush,
And from the greening woodland
I hear the first wild thrush.
They move my heart to pity
For all the vanished years,
With ecstasy of longing
And tenderness of tears.
~ William Bliss Carman

33 comments:

Gardener on Sherlock Street said...

Towering foxgloves! Wow. The peonies are so pretty.

Sherri said...

Marnie, what absolutely lovely flowers! The peonies are just beautiful!

Louise said...

I just clipped my peonies off. They were beautiful but, for some odd reason, didn't have much scent this year.

No foxgloves for me, as the kid who mows nailed them, by mistake. They were in the woods border and he though he'd do me a favor and mow the weeds back a bit. Sigh.

Heather at Dusty Bay said...

Lovely peonies, Marnie - I just love their scent too!

Kyna said...

I love peonies. I've not had them in my garden as of yet. I'm worried they won't do well in my climate. I'm in Zone 8a...I read they were prone to balling up.

Yours are beautiful :D

tina said...

Flourished indeed! Just gorgeous! The last poem is poignant too-very apt for the end of the peony bloom.

Cheryl said...

Hi Marnie.....my 'shirley temple' is but a baby compared to yours.I do hope that she does as well, in the years that follow. What a lovely speimen...

My foxgloves grow to great heights.....I always put a bamboo cane in now and tie them here at there. It works well......

Lona said...

Good Morning Marnie. Oh, your peonies are so beautiful. They have so many blooms. I wish those giant blooms would last longer too. They look pretty with your pink Foxgloves.

Betsy Banks Adams said...

Beautiful Marnie... I love Peonies --and that is one flower we never planted. Don't know why--but we are out of room now. the foxgloves are pretty too... They look like little bells... How neat!!!!

Hugs,
Betsy

Phillip Oliver said...

I love them too (both peonies and foxgloves). The peonies are usually done in early by the rain but those big fat flowers just can't be beat.

walk2write said...

When we lived in the Midwest, I kept meaning to plant one or more of those tree peonies. [Sigh] Now I'll never get the chance. It's too dang hot for them here. I do love the fragrance and look of peonies. Yours are fantastic. I was reading an earlier post about the poppy. C'mon. You really don't like orange? Not even tangerine?

Lisa at Greenbow said...

The Wood Thrush does have a meloncholy note to it. I love seeing your peonies. They are beautiful. I can imagine the fragrance they emit.

Together We Save said...

Your flowers are beautiful!!

troutbirder said...

Peonies yes. Foxgloves No. Your are just great. Mine always fell over or failed utterly. I do depend on the digitalis though... from the drug store. :)

Sandy said...

Hello Marnie, Oh peonies are absolutely one of my favorite flowers in the world. The fragrance makes my mouth water. I'm not sure if I could even grow them this far south, I will have to check, but I'm sure it is way too hot for the. The foxglove is gorgeous. What a pretty pink they are.

The poppies are magical! And the Irises are just so elegant and amazing, another weakness of mine. Oh, I just love them all ♥

So glad your poochie didn't get attacked by the Coyote, how awful! I would be scared to let him out anymore. I hope mr. mean coyote never returns, that's too scary and too close for comfort. Got any shotguns ready?

Glad you got your power turned back on!

BeadedTail said...

I love peonies but haven't seen or smelled one in years. I miss them every year.

Meadowview Thymes said...

So beautiful--I love the white..In fact, I think I love them the best.
Is that a foxglove in one of the pictures? Really pretty pink with the white peony.
Linda

David - Pinewood Cottage said...

What a great blog - beautiful photos! i am just getting started with peonies. i have hot, burning sun here in SC so i'm going to see how they make it. i have one hidden in the shade just in case the others don't make it through the summer.

Susie said...

Peonies are so beautiful! They just don't do well down here.

I can't imagine seeing 6 foot foxgloves. How beautiful!

Anonymous said...

So jealous, my Peonies are long since spent and gone. :( I love that Shirley Temple, she's a beauty.

Kathleen said...

I am right there with you on looking forward to the peonies Marnie. Mine are just starting so we're definitely behind you. I've been going out every morning and sticking my nose in them to inhale the scent. I love your white one ~ that's a color that's really growing on me.
I'm hugely envious of towering foxgloves. For the life of me, I struggle to get one to overwinter. When I do, it rarely blooms. I think it's my destiny to not have them (at least in this garden).

Dawn said...

Ours is just starting to bloom. I lost my red japanese peony this year. :(

Rose said...

It's too bad peony blooms don't last longer, but they are gorgeous while in full bloom. Yours are beautiful.

Besides leaner soil, I want to know the secret of growing such tall foxgloves!

Mr. McGregor's Daughter said...

Foxgloves make a great counterpoint to Peonies, but if they need different soils, I wonder if it would work to grow the foxgloves in a container & plunk it down behind the peony? The last peony here has a couple of buds yet to go, but the season is definitely winding down.

Sharon Lovejoy said...

Loved the visit with you and your garden, butterflies, and beauty.

Sharon Lovejoy Writes from Sunflower House and a Little Green Island

marmee said...

i love both of these flowers too. i just wish we had a longer blooming season as well. but i certainly enjoy them when they are here. mine are all done. i love this bright red peony...it makes a bold statement.
happy june.

Chloe m said...

I could never get enough peonies...they are just gorgeous. I love the white blooms, so pure and fresh.

F Cameron said...

I love seeing the peonies in all the blogs. Yours are so beautiful and what a nice collection!

garden girl said...

The peonies are gorgeous Marnie, and wow - six-foot foxgloves! I've grown peonies in part sun before, but haven't tried them here (yet. . . ;)

Hope you're having a wonderful weekend. I'm so happy it didn't get to 93 degrees today as had been predicted!

Anonymous said...

I wonder if their ephemeral tendencies [Lilacs/Peony] are one reason they're so beloved. If they bloomed nonstop, we might get tired of them. Maybe...

Love your photos. My peonies are planted in semi-shade and just starting to open. They're going straight into a vase. :)

Gail said...

Gorgeous peonies Marnie! I especially like the pure white of Shirley and she looks great with the foxglove pinks. I really love the fragrant peonies and hope they hybridizers never choose big flowers over scent. gail

Pat said...

Just put some in this spring,never had them before.
Hope I have success.

Vetsy said...

Marnie Peonies are on my future wish list! They are beautiful and smell wonderful! Your are very pretty!

Love the Poem by William Bliss Carman.

~ Vetsy