Peonies

It's that time of year again--the roses, peonies, and irises are blooming like crazy in my front yard. It's nice while it lasts. I don't usually think to cut flowers and bring them in, but today I filled one vase with roses and another with peonies and irises. The irises have the strongest and best scent, which surprised me.

It rained last night, and is beautiful and sunny this afternoon. It was a soft and steady rain, so the peonies are still standing. Once they're in full bloom it only takes one good thunderstorm to flatten them as the flowers fill with water and fall over (or get knocked down by strong winds). So far so good, and there's only a little chance of thunderstorms midweek.