Tree Peony and other flowers

The tree peony has more flowers than it has ever had. Last fall I put some large pots upside down around the plant and laid some dried flower stems across the top to catch the snow.  The whole plant was under snow until March and I think that kept buds from winter kill.  The plant itself is quite rugged but the flowers are delicate. Too much heat and sun and the flowers quickly droop.   Yesterday when it was pretty  sunny and warm, I draped a damp t-shirt over the flowers to keep them a little cooler in the middle of the day.  Now we are in for some cooler days so I may get to enjoy the flowers for a while yet.

I took this picture so you could see that the flowers are really large even though the plant is only about 3' high. Mice damaged some of the stems last winter so this year I am thinking I will stick some garlic bulbs around the plant to try to discourage the mice from chewing on it.

This time of year is a bit of an in-between time for flowers. The spring bulbs are finished and most of the perennials have yet to bloom.  The little tiarella blooms now, though, and I enjoy its delicate flowers and decorative leaves. It grows best in a shady location. It never gets very big so it's good for a small garden.

Ornamental onions are a handy plant as they are not fussy as to sun or shade.  They will multiply especially in a shadier location.

The ferns grow very fast at this time of year.  These ones are just native ferns that I planted on the north side of the house. Very attractive with the sun shining through them.

The hosts are starting to show their striking leaves. I planted some new ones this year.  I'll show them later in the season when they are bigger.  The pink flower is lunaria (silver dollar) which is a biennial. It self-sows here and there but never seems to get out of hand. The white feathery flowers are false Solomon seal which is native around here.

It's been pretty dry for the last few months so we are hoping to get some decent rain tomorrow. It is surprising how well most of the plants are growing in spite of the lack of rain.

Keep well. Take care.