Before they're all gone, I thought this year's peonies (pivoines in French) needed to be documented. The petals are falling heavily now.
I took the photo above before the gravel and grass under the plant were covered in peony petals. The close-up photos of individual flowers are some I took three or four days ago. This is one plant we have. There's one other, but I haven't taken pictures of that one.
Suddenly it's summer here, but I don't think it's supposed to last very long. It's supposed to be downright hot today and tomorrow, but much cooler and rainy next week. Rain will finish the peonies but will be good for the vegetable garden, which Walt has been planting for a couple of days now.
Yesterday I had to drive up to Blois for a doctor's appointment. Except in Saint-Aignan, traffic wasn't bad. At 9 a.m., the main road along the river in Saint-Aignan was blocked off by a squadron of gendarmes to let people coming in from the north, across the town's bridge, and heading toward the Beauval zoo south of town, to move through unimpeded. I had to drive a loop through town to get back to the bridge from the other direction.
It takes about 40 minutes to drive up to Blois, and 40 minutes to drive back, when traffic is light. Coming home late on a Friday morning, I wanted to avoid passing through the town of Contres, because Friday is market day there and it gets congested. I took narrow, winding back roads that I'm familiar with, but I found the route barricaded at Oisly — because of road work, I assume. I had to change course and it took me forever to get home. This is a holiday weekend, by the way, and with the fine weather a lot of people are on the roads.
With any kind of iris, peonies, especially if they're bright red, like yours, and scented, are my favorite flowers.
ReplyDeleteI love peonies, and mine are the same color as yours. This year, they lasted, in full bloom, for a good week or so, before the inevitable rain storm that knocks every petal to the ground. Now, what's left is already shriveled and brown. Still, I love them every year!
ReplyDeleteJudy
My girlfriend is an artist and mostly paints flowers. She has a fabulous garden and uses her own flowers to paint. Your photograph (second one!) makes me wish I could paint like Joanna. I am just a simple amateur but the intensity of that color and the separation of the leaves in my favorite flower make for a gorgeous display! I will share your photo with her and maybe she'll decide to paint it for me? When I had a garden I had many Sarah Bernhardt peonies - they were stunning - before the wind/rain/snow would knock them down in Wisconsin and also in Illinois when I lived there! Thanks for the memories, Ken! You made my day!
ReplyDeleteMary in Oregon
Oh I love Peonies! And these are Fabulous ! The color !!
ReplyDeleteThe color is great on these! I guess the color is hot pink. Much prefer it to the pale pink peonie varieties. For a relatively small bush it's a prolific producer.
ReplyDeleteI had this color in my Kentucky home and also white. I transplanted some in Anniston and then one made it here. It's white and a survivor, so I'm happy.
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