June 09 Peony

June 09 Peony
Originally uploaded by ChathamGardens

Growing advice for peonies tell you not to cut more then a third of your flowers in any one year, mainly because of the leaves that are lost to the plant with the cut flowers. These leaves are essential to the peony if it is to make its food reserves.

Fortunately this year my peonies are blooming in abundance and taking a flower or two from several different plants do not pose a threat to the ongoing health of the plant.

The gentle sweet scent of these magnificent blooms are gracing the inside of Chatham Gardens and will be a beautiful bouquet for the next couple of weeks.

Today was a beautiful, bright, sunny day here on Cape Cod and I was thrilled to find that the Peony show had indeed begun. Several of these magnificent beauties greeted me this morning as I enjoyed my coffee on the front porch. There are so many more buds to come, both in the front of the house and in the back that I am sure this show will have a wonderfully long run. I still marvel at the serendipity that brought me to live in this amazing place, my Chatham Gardens.

June 09 Chatham Gardens

June 09 Chatham Gardens
Originally uploaded by ChathamGardens

Chatham Gardens continues to flourish this spring with all the beauty that nature (and a very adept landscaper) can provide. If you click on the picture it will take you to the Flickr site with lots of pictures of what is/has been blooming and growing at Chatham Gardens over the last two months. But pictures only tell part of the story, for the rest of the saga you must visit in person.