What a difference 24 hours can make! Yesterday at this time, I was looking out into a torrential downpour. The water was gushing down the rocks across the street and making tiny waterfalls as is flooded our street.

Today, though the sun is not shining, and we may have severe weather tonight, I have been with the camera enjoying the peonies!

A glorious, sunny Mother's Day here!

Peonies and iris blooming together!

Columbines doing their utmost!

Pinks and lambsear beside a garden stone which says, "How lovely is the silence of growing things".

Japanese iris have multiplied year after year! Soon we will have lilies in bloom.

An apricot/peach/pink iris!

Our Gertrude Jekyll (from David Austin) fragrant pink rose!

In the back yard, the lasagne ( layered) garden from last summer has leaf lettuce, spinach and maybe someday, turnips! [Below]

Freshly picked and ready for my lunch!

New tomato and pepper plants were just set out today.....in the newest lasagne bed.

We have wonderful gardeners in our area....yesterday afternoon ( a perfect day weather-wise) my friends and I made a short trip out to a peony garden owned by Karen and Henry Chotkowski.
There were hundreds of peonies in bloom...even more than the week before when they had their annual Mother's Day open house. It was overwhelming to the eyes! Each variety was more interesting than the last....
Finally, this one caught my eye, there being fewer yellow blooms....lots of white and pink and even deep reds....but I have a "thing" going for yellow this spring!

This is a new variety, an Itoh peony, which is a cross between the tree peony and the herbaceous. It is called "Prairie Charm"..... The butter yellow goes into a soft cranberry red center!
We forgot to bring our cameras...a shame as I could have captured the visual charm of the place. The Chotkwskie's home is bright pink, in honor of the peonies and has a long porch with many rocking chairs lined up to sit and watch the blooming! Several large shade trees are furnished underneath with garden tables and chairs for more serene contemplation of these beauties!

In a few days, I hope to visit another garden nearby where a friend has over 200 foxgloves in bloom....and I WILL take the camera...!!!!!