You guys, the peony is opening! I repeat. The peony is opening!! The bud became so swollen the stem started to bend, so I intervened and tied it to a garden cane to stop it snapping. I’d be hacked off if it snapped, it’s the only flower.
A few days later, more petals unfurled. Not much longer now!
I picked up this geranium from our local plant sale. £1 for a big healthy plant. I don’t know why I buy plants during the rest of the year. I should save my money for local sales because a) you get so much more for your money and b) many of the plants have been divided from plants growing in local gardens, so you know they’ll thrive.
These pansies were grown from seed I received from Gemma last year in the seed swap arranged by Annie. We sowed them at the allotment but the grass started to suffocate them so this year we planted them out into an old metal wheelbarrow.
Our clematis has grown into a wild, untamed beast. I love it! It spreads all around the corner of the fence. This nook with the bird feeder is my favourite though. When there is a queue for the feeder, the birds hop around the clematis branches.
This beauty is a clematis flower — Guernsey Cream. It’s as large as my hand. The petals stay this soft shade of green until just before they start to wilt. Green is my favourite colour and it’s not often you see flowers with green petals.
Your plants look really healthy, it is lovely to see everything spring into life ?
Thank you Tina 🙂 I think so too, the garden is filling with colour at last.
wow!!!! Gemma, your garden is boomin’! or shall i say blooming!? wow. hooray for the peony but that iris is mighty stunning herself.
Hah, blooming indeed! That iris crept up right next to the front door, forget I’d even put it there.
Such lush garden! My fave is the clematis and how they are all over and clinging to the wall! #hdygg
I love peonies. I think it is their sheer size and the fact they are usually so brightly coloured. With just one flower I’m not surprised you were so precious about it!
They are very dramatic flowers. It was worth the two year wait 🙂
Lovely garden! And congrats on your marriage!
Thanks very much Teresa 🙂
Your garden is really bursting into life…love the clematis. I’ve never been lucky with them, any I buy get eaten down to stumps within days…darn slugs & snails ? I know what you mean about local plant sales…always a bargain to be had & like you say, generally really healthy plants #hdygg
Yes it’s nice to see everything coming to life again. The clematis with the green flowers got wilt last year so I cut it down as far as I could and thankfully it came back again.
Am so pleased to see the pansies and am very envious of your peonies, I love them. Your garden is lovely, my other half who is very keen on pottering around in the garden, also loved reading this post and he usually shows no interest in blogs!
Your plant sales tip is so true, completely agree and I must try to find one local to us.
I’m hoping to save the seed from the pansies and plant a few more next year. Glad he enjoyed this post, it’s nice to hear 🙂
that peony is simply stunning, i will assume that my mums flowers will have finished blooming by the time i visit in july
I think they might have finished by July (sorry). But saying that, ours is dying off and other people are posting photos of fresh buds…