Peonies, finally

Just about a month late, my peonies have finally started to bloom and I've brought in my first tiny bouquet. The pink which is just opening up is a very fragrant Sarah Bernhardt and the white which has been blooming about a week is a Shirley Temple. The Shirley Temple was mislabeled at the nursery, but it turns out to be one of the stars of my garden. It has huge white blooms just tipped in red here and there and the smell is heavenly. It only takes two peonies to make my kitchen smell swoon-worthy. Come in closer for a sniff...

Oh, that's right. Can't smell things on a blog. Too bad. Trust me - swoon-worthy.
The little cream jug this bouquet is in is from the Hotel Minerve in Paris. David liberated it for me from the breakfast tray on our last day in Paris way back in 2002. Ahhhh, Paris. David and I spent nearly a month there, seeing the sights, being crazy in love, taking a million non-digital photographs and getting rained on day after day after day (and NOT proposing or accepting a proposal of marriage, but that's another story). It was a record settingly cold and wet spring - but we were in Paris and in love, so the weather didn't matter. I love this little jug and all the memories it carries with it. Whether it's holding peonies in the summer or hot chocolate in the winter, it always makes me smile.

Comments

[karen]

please tell the no proposal story, please, please.

Isn't it great when your garden starts to come together.

[Denise Leavens]

Love things that have special memories attached. Beautiful bouquet, I can even ALMOST smell it! And I add my pleas for the no proposal story, too.

[Elizabeth]

Gorgeous peonies!One of my very favorite flowers. I just got back from Paris, where it rained three out of the four days we were there,and I mean down pour rain!
I'll be posting on it soon, but we were in France and England for 17 days total, Paris was the last destination.
There are many things I too would like to pilfer from Paris :)

[Lisa]

Nooooooo, David won't let me tell the no-proposal-in-Paris story. Let's just say he has regrets...

[Kristine.]

I love this post. It is so romantic and the pictures it conjures up in my mind are wonderful. Oh and the peonies are beautiful, roses and peonies - my fav's.