A Tour Of The Garden In May, Part I

All my hard work of past years has finally been rewarded this Spring. Don't get me wrong, a beautiful garden is a work in process and takes years to develop. It is not a one time thing as I've discovered, but years of trial and error, hard work and learning from your mistakes. You can get a landscaper to come in and do it all for you, but my daughter and I love to garden and we wanted our garden, like the inside of our house, to have character and to be "us".

This year, the peonies take center stage. The profusion and the colors are staggering. I don't even cut them anymore. I don't have enough vases in the house and the place already looks like a funeral home!

The photo above was taken AFTER I had already placed some in containers for arranging.

The first to come out, the biggest and, always the most reliable, is the Sarah Bernhardt peony. No wonder it has won so many prizes.

I have already cut over 20 of these for both my living room and Madame Mere's

This other is Duchesse the Nemours. There are two plants, one white with a yellow center and the other a blush pink, also with a yellow center.

Here's the light pink in a vase

There's also Festiva Maxima in white and a dark red which did not do as well and was not as profuse as the others.

The tea roses have also been fantastic, so far. I have been on top of them treating them for pests which come in every size and color here in Georgia. Let's see who wins this battle. I would put my money on the bugs, they always win. I usually give up and swear I will never have another rose in my garden again...until next year. I have finally compromised and grow only three bushes in front of MM's window. She keeps guard. Everyday. Like a hawk!

The photo above was taken in the afternoon after a brief rain shower. They never look this good as we get into the hot summer. We will see how well we do this year.