Summer Garden

Summer is here. We've had good, sometimes too good, rain most evenings and everything is green.

 Kitchen counter flowers

 Cone Flowers

 Hibiscus

 Hydrangea

 Lily

 Bee Balm

Needless to say the weeds are also doing very well!
Visit Today's Flowers #353 to visit other gardens.

A Little Sunshine

 A welcome gift.

 They came with a dozen chocolate dipped strawberries. I got five. Gotta be quick around here.

Hop on over to Today's Flowers # 339  for more sunshine.

In The Garden...Blue and White

Remember spring? All sunny days and blue skies.

 Freezing rain n Virginia today. Swing on over the Today's Flowers # 338 for more natural beauty.

Fall colors

Cooler weather, gray rainy days are here but Fall was bright this year. The garden row.

 Not my tree but too lovely to pass up.

 Timberbranch Parkway.

 My daughter's maples and dogwood.

Gone till next year. Visit Today's Flowers #325 for more color.

Peony Praise

Last week-end the peony bed was ready to pop.

 

We had to celebrate their beauty with a spur of the moment party. It started as wine and cheese, but I can't hold back.

I had a piece of salmon waiting to be cooked so I cured it.

Poached the chicken breasts for salad.

 Some colorful veggies and deviled eggs.

Bought some brownies...gotta have chocolate.

Berries were in  at the farmers market

Mini make your own strawberry shortcakes.

Set the table and ready to go.

Peony's Envy, a nursery and display garden in Bernardsville, New Jersey suggests prolonging the blooms over time by cutting the buds when they just show color and storing them in water in the fridge for six months! Or to keep for a few weeks, wrap in newsprint and lay in the fridge. They spring to life when put in water.

Click here to watch Peony's Envy on The Martha Stewart Show for a VIDEO on how to cut and store your herbaceous peonies.

Click on over to Today's Flowers #298 for more of what's in bloom.