Saturday, April 30, 2011

Flowers of the Day

Gina, Matt and Devin spent most of the day at the Amish School Benefit Auction.
G. came home with a haul of beautiful plants, purchased at very modest prices.
For example: the hanging baskets of tuberous begonias were $7.00 each!

Some of her purchases spread out in the shade: lupins,
rose-pink salvia, mallow, delphinium, vervain--and "parsley enough for an army!"



G. is very fond of Gerberas--I grant they are colorful and cheerful, but always think they look almost artificial.

G. is chaffing at the bit regarding the wait for closing on their house, very anxzious to be establishing a flower garden.
M. is concerned with turning up a space for veggies, as there is no existing kitchen garden there, although some sophisticated landscaping has been done.
Their dooryard will be shadier than ours, at least near the house.
The sellers have given permission for the garden to be started prior to closing.

In our dooryard the first of the peonies opened today.
J. staked and tied the top-heavy bushes earlier this week.
It does seem that wherever I have lived a deluge flattens the peonies just when they are at their peak.

There seems to be an absence of the ants which usually coax the peony buds.
Instead the peonies are populated with ladybugs.

A pink peony bud.
I wonder if this is the variety Sarah Bernhardt.

4 comments:

  1. Despite our sunshine, your Paeonies are ahead of mine. I have a Sarah Bernhart too - planted last year I am hoping it will flower this.

    G did well at the plant auction and how nice that they can get cracking on the garden of their new property before contracts are completely signed up and exchanged.

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  2. What beautiful flowers. I have never managed to grow peonies, but remember a vast bush in my parents garden; I always waited for the fat buds to open, but they never did.

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  3. Sounds as though you had a great day ...what a bargain those hanging baskets were. I love peony flowers ...I have tried so hard to get one to grow and last year there was a bud ...this year it was growing well ...and then the chap next door put up a new fence for us ...and completely crushed it ...maybe it will grow again next year.

    I missed the post some how,about your daughter finding a house ...are they going to be quite close to you?

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  4. Your daughter got some beautiful flowers. I don't blame her for wanting to hurry up and get into her new home so that she can putter in her own gardens.

    I love your peonies.

    Have a great week ~ FlowerLady

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