The first peony of spring

Timing. I had just driven my family down to the station so they can get to Paris and then to Sydney. And I came back for a lope around the garden to find the peonies just opened.

All week the peonies have been in that exciting plump bud stage. But no more.  And today. This afternoon. They are emerging.

I have cut just one, and will get to enjoy it in a vase on its own so the scent can compete with my roses.

My friend Andrew – who grows peonies for cut flowers – says you should not cut the blooms until the shrub is well established ‘until it has at least five flowering stems. You should never cut the stems too long either – leave at least three or four leaves, or you will weaken the plant.’

How about that? You don’t often get gardening advice on these pages. I’ve learned something.

Flowers are everywhere in the house at the moment. I have cut oodles of flowers to bring indoors and put in vases.  I’m not using any chestnut branches as greenery at the moment. I’m still having fun with the honesty plants which have gone green and are wonderfully stiff.  But the other two useful green fillers are fennel fronds and long marjoram stalks.

Irises, roses, aliums (going over), cerinthe, gladiolus, geums, euphorbias, salvias, nepeta, the wonderful orange lilies from my friend Leslie; you name it, it is in the vase.

I only have full sized pictures of some of the vases – where am I going wrong with my photo resizing skills?  So you will see them wonky plants and probably earwigs as well.