Peonies!

The peonies over by the shed are close to blooming.

These are probably Sarah's favorite thing in the garden, and certainly among my own favorites. At this time, we just have the single plant, but we are planning to add more, as the garden starts to take shape.

They weren't quite "ready" for our Labyrinth Gathering; they look like they will be in full bloom in a few more days.

Peonies are marvelously "showy" flowers, even if their blooms last only for a few days. I remember being a kid in Denmark, and my Aunt Grete had beds of peonies in many colors from almost white with just a hint of pink, to deep purples and reds. They were quite spectacular, and the different varietals seemed to have different times for setting blooms.

When you have enough of them, they can actually serve as pretty spectacular cut flowers... it will be nice to have a cutting garden here! Sarah is going to let the flowers bloom this year, and hopefully we'll be able to retrieve some seeds then they mature. Not even sure if that's how you grow peonies? Maybe we need to be looking for roots, or rhizomes, or something else...