Peonies

Peony "Sarah Bernhardt"


Peony "Raspberry Sundae"

The peonies are finishing up, and they were fantastic this year. I have two that did particularly well. One, "Sarah Bernhardt", has huge flowers, aptly named for a Victorian actress. The other is called "Raspberry Sundae", and does look good enough to eat. Peonies live for decades, and have more showiness and punch than an annual. They also are very attractive to little ants--so give a good shake before you bring them in the house!

Rhubarb Harvest

I've been harvesting our rhubarb, and enjoying it in pie. Our favorite is rhubarb-strawberry, with lots of sugar. I use about 1:1 strawberries to rhubarb, and at least a cup of sugar per pie. I always use tapioca as the thickener, rather than flour, to get a clear filling.

Rhubarb is very sour--due to all the oxalate in the plant. In fact, there's so much in the leaves that they are poisonous. The stems are fine though, and make a wonderful springtime treat. I even like it a little sour. It's been so wet this last month that one of my three plants developed root rot, but the other two pulled through. I hope I can split one in the fall, and replace the one I lost.

Dwarf Crested Iris

Iris Cristata "alba"

I've heard these called "handkerchief iris", presumably because they look like a handkerchief dropped on the lawn! The slugs got to them this year, leaving many little holes, but they are still lovely. Each blossom only lasts a single day.

Musk Strawberries

I planted musk strawberries about 3 years ago, and this is going to be the first year that I have a really good harvest. I am excited!

Bellwort (Uvularia sp.)

From my rain garden. Looks unremarkable, until you bend over to see the flower.