Dappled light made its way into the gardens yesterday... a treat from the rainy days and low light. Many if not most of the peonies and poppies have dropped their petals or fallen heavy weighted by rain to the carpeted ground. Botrytis is rampant and any plant parts with signs should be removed. These prissy pink peonies are the last to bloom and the largest blossoms of them all are a gift from the garden and former inhabitants of this land... it must be some forty years ago. The peony plant was dormant for many years, for there had been large trees growing near the house that heavily shaded it. It decided to wake up a few years after the medium size Rock Maples came down and I planted a weeping Japanese Maple next to where it slept. One June day it just began to bloom ... that area tends to get rather overgrown ... as much of the gardens and I had not noticed the leaves. It has been blooming strong ever since and is a testament to the durability of Peonies, when they are planted the right depth in heathy, well drained soil. The variety reminds me of a Sarah Bernhardt but I am not certain. There is also a single, a lighter and darker double pink peony still blooming as of yesterday. The papery pink Poppies are growing beneath some late blooming lilacs ... that were much smaller when the Poppies were planted. The shade seems to hold them back, so that they flower after all those growing in the sun have gone to seed. Though this year with so little sun, I am not quite sure what kept them from blooming earlier. Some bloomers just have their own inner clocks and bloom whenever they feel like it... not according to any set time table. Late bloomers are always worth waiting for.