What's Fresh June 27

Yep, it's peony time--that means that the peonies must be checked and cut every two to three hours. Each bud must be pressed and repressed, checked for ripeness. The perfect time to cut a peony is when it is in the "marshmallow" stage--the bud is soft, very much like a marshmallow. When cut at this stage it will hold in the cooler and then gently open to perfection at room temperature. We have hundreds of peony plants that ripen individually and so it is like having a newborn that needs attention every few hours--RT eats, sleeps and dreams peonies! It is a huge job, but the results are so rewarding. I adore peonies and have them all over the house.

We have a good assortment of pink peonies, from palest blush pink to magenta. The large bud in the center is "Sarah Bernhardt". We also have "Coral Charm", she has worked her charm on me--I love her rich coral pink hues. That's her at the top of the photo.

This is another view of a "Sarah Bernhardt" peony fully open.

We have loads of cloud-like white peonies and sweet peas, a symphony of fragrance and texture.

Baptisia--in blue violet and smokey purple--gorgeous!

Campanulas--yeah! One of my favorite cut flowers, the campanula family produces strong, beautiful long lasting flowers, each with some sort of bell-like structure. This is Peach leaf Bell flower, I just call it bell flower. (That's Gracie, our newest addition--actually she added us I think.)

Another campanula, Canterbury Bells--we have purple and white. These bells are huge with multiple blooms on each stem. (That is Gracie again.)

The delphinium have also started--majestic columns in every shade of blue stretch to brush the sky--this series named for King Aurthur and his court.

Eremerus, also known as foxtail lily and desert candle, these stalks are loaded with sweet smelling blooms that open from the bottom up and seem to glow in the sunrise and at dusk. This sturdy stem is 3 to 4 ft. long and we will have white, yellow, gold and this peachy color.

Filipendula is also called Meadowsweet for its sweet fragrance. A slender long stem crowned with an umble of rose blushed pearls that open to a star-like white flower and fragrance. One of my favorite wedding flowers.

The delicate magenta flower in the center is Knautia. It looks so much like scabiosa but is not related. In the bud stage it look like little strawberries.

Melica is a delicate bronze headed grass, each head a collection of hammered bronze oval sequins.

The poppy are still my morning delight! To wake to see these scarlet heads bidding me "buon giorno" from a sea of green. "Che bella cominciare al giorno"--what a beautiful start to the day.

Fresh sage in bloom, delicious, silvery lance shaped leaves topped with lavender flowers on bronze spikes, and you can eat it!

Scabiosa, pin cushion flower, in blue and white. (That is Romeo in the background--the Bindweed cats are our quality control, they sniff every flower and sip from every bucket.)

Sweet pea--this week we have sweet peas on the vine. I cut two feet of sweet pea vine with buds and flowers and tendrils. It is delicate, sweet smelling and longer lasting than sweet peas cut for stems.

Fabulous Foliage

The foliage plants have also started to produce. We will have Diablo, with it's glossy bronze foliage, available for the rest of the season.

Lysimachia "firecracker"--need I say more! Fabulous color on long luscious stems.

Lady's Mantle, so named for the dew drops that gather in the leaves and sparkle as if they were diamonds on a lady's mantle. Deep emerald green velvet leaves accented by lime green flowers.

This is our granddaughter's favorite plant, lamb's ear. She loves to rub the velvety leaves on her little face and arms. I love the size and silver sage color of this beautiful plant.

The sedum is mature enough to start cutting. The glossy jade green leaves are the perfect foil for brightly colored perennials. We are able to cut sedum in early summer to late fall, when it develops autumn colored flowers.

Another viburnum is taking the stage, this variety is called "Blue Muffin" for the blue berries it gets in the falls. Only once in ten years have we produced berries, conditions must be perfect for good pollination, so we threw in the towel and now cut the white "berries" before they bloom. RT listed this cut as small lace cap viburnum. Vigorous woody stems loaded with glossy green leaves and an interesting flower.