for the love of peonies

well so before i share some photos, i feel like we need to get this out in the open.  my friend teala and i were talking about this at lunch the other day… and just for the record, i say:

peony     pee  – OH – nee

peonies     PEE – uh – nees  (plural)

i also say cluh – MA – tis…which has nothing to do with peonies, but figured i’d set the record straight on that one too.

ok.  thanks. glad we got that out of the way.

anyway, if it wasn’t obvious from the title of this blog post, my peonies are blooming.  and friends, it is just making me all kinds of happy.  i look forward to it every year.

i’m not sure if it was the relatively mild winter, or perhaps they just got the right amount of rain at the right time, or maybe they are just finally well established. but this year they just seem especially beautiful.  and i have just been completely obsessed with them.

i didn’t save the tag and i don’t remember the particular variety, but oh my goodness i wish you could smell them.  and this color!  holy cow.

and don’t even get me started with these ruffley petals.

as much as i love these beauties growing in the garden though, wanna know my new favorite thing?

taking pictures of them on my new, old chair.

and well i guess i should add that playing around with photo processing runs a close second.

so how about you?  what’s new in your garden?  are you as obsessed as i am?

and more importantly…how do you say peony?

love, kelly