Twin Moons.

Twin Moons., a photo by Leenechan on Flickr.

Our peony "Moonstone" has been blooming for the past few days. It's really one of my favorite peonies, even though this is only its second year in the ground. It has strong stems and flowers so huge you have hold them with both hands. It also has the loveliest fragrance, like honey and melon, unlike most of the fragrant peonies that smell like cinnamon chewing gum. Our Chinese tree peony "Blue Butterfly" smelled the same except not as strongly.

Unfortunately, our lawn doesn't look so hot in the background.

Of our many peonies, I consider "Moonstone", "Paula Fay", "Coral Sunset" and "Cheddar Charm" to be my favorites. If I were to recommend anyone a peony to add to their garden, however, I would suggest "Moonstone" over the others. It really is perfect in every way!

A New Peony For 2012.

"Coral Sunset" in its faded glory., a photo by Leenechan on Flickr.

I know that Kristen posted this one in her blog, but I admire this peony so much I wanted to post it too! This is probably my favorite of the new peonies. At first I thought it looked too much like "Coral Supreme" but after this flower opened up all the way I realized how much more beautiful it is. That deep orangey-pink color! Those heart-shaped petals! And over the course of a few days it fades so beautifully, changing from dark coral to peach to, finally, lemon yellow looking to the world like it hasn't aged, but transformed.

Not much of a fragrance, though.

Did I post this flower already? If I did, well, you get to see it again!