Peonies in the Cold

I got three huge blooms from the peony this year. The first spring that we were in this house, I decided to clean up the border along the back of the house where the roses are. I weeded, laid out newspaper and covered it with mulch. I started to see something growing up next to the roses and was annoyed by this stubborn weed growing up through my mulch. So I cut it back. I'm not sure for how long I cut this thing back, but last year I let it grow and saw big beautiful flowers grow from it. Soon I realized that it is not a weed, but a peony. Huge blooms with lots of petals. Glad I took a photo because the blooms really don't last long.

This is one of my birthday irises. Blooming the first year in, not bad!

I was surprised to see the Spanish Lavender growing out front already. It's beating it's peers by a few weeks at least. The Spanish is my favorite lavender. I like it's purple tufts at the top.

In other garden news, preschooler has already eaten about a dozen Alpine Strawberries. The Tri-star and Seascape strawberries might be ready within the next month. Apparently, I made a mistake when I planted tomatoes behind a row of strawberries. Of course, I researched my garden placements too late, once I'd already done it. It turns out the strawberries can get some of the same diseases (Fusarium and Verticillium Wilt) as tomatoes, so it's not recommended to plant them in the same spot. I will leave things as they are but I will keep it in mind for next time. There's always the chance that both the strawberries and tomatoes will grow and ripen just fine. My tomatoes are all resistant to at least one of those diseases, and both Tri-star and Seascape strawberries are labeled "disease resistant", so I will call it an experiment and see what happens.

I think I'll have some pepper plants to pass out soon. I have about a dozen down in the basement and I don't know where I'd put them all. We really need to dig up some more of the lawn for a bigger garden next year. Peppers are great for freezing and the whole family loves them, so the more the merrier if I have a place to put them. Perhaps I can squeeze a few into the flower garden out front?