soft and scented

Can you believe I once disdained the noble peony? What was I thinking? When we moved into our house in PA there were four peonies planted in a straight line along the southern wall. The deer nibbled them constantly so I never saw them flower; eventually I dug them up and gave them to my mother. For years I told myself it was no great loss, that I didn't care for them anyway. Can you spell DENIAL?! Two years ago I was given a bare peony root by a fellow Master Gardener and I left it in the bag so long it started to grow there. I finally planted it, and last year it put out a few leaves. But this year...glorious, huge, ruffled, fragrant, flowers! Let me also go on record here as someone who doesn't do much with cut flowers; I leave flowers on the plants (where they belong!). But since my nephew Willy just made me this swell vase, and since the flowers were so heavy they'd snap off in a strong rain I thought why not? Now I have two perfect pink peony flowers (say that ten times fast) on my table and I couldn't be happier. Those deer better not come nosing around my peony patch; I never want to be without these voluptuous beauties again.