THE PEONIES ARE IN BLOOM!

pe·o·ny

ˈpēənē/

noun

noun: peony; plural noun: peonies; noun: paeony; plural noun: paeonies

1. a herbaceous or shrubby plant of north temperate regions, which has long been cultivated for its showy flowers.

   

   
   

    Peonies are my favorite flower and until I moved to Idaho I was never living in a climate that was kind to them or had a hot house in which to grow them.  My dear mother-in-law Viola Dewhirst, had a very green thumb and even in the hot, dry San Joaquin Valley of California (with it's mild winters) she was able to have the most beautiful white peony plant in a shaded area near her front door.  It had grown into quite a large plant and when in bloom visitors were greeted with the wonderful fragrance of that single peony bush. I was in love.

   

   My Missouri family sent me a beautiful bouquet of pink roses and lilies for Mothers Day (thank you very much).  The bloom is off the roses as they say but the lilies are still beautiful and still opening so I combined my lovely first peonies of the season with the lilies and the combination has made a fabulous bouquet for my table.

   

   
   

   

   I wish I could add a "scratch n' sniff" as the subtle fragrance is one of my favorite things about this beautiful bloom.  Not in your face like a gardenia but just as I once read in a plant catalog "delightful and delicious fragrance."

   

   Finally today, I have the most beautiful bowl of rose petals that I will turn into some potpourri sachets for my linen closet.  Future post!

   
   

   Thank you for stopping by.