It's Peony season. There are countless varieties and more always in the works, but I would argue that the most luscious, the one most worth the winter wait, is Paeonia rockii. Rock's peony, named for plantsman Joseph Rock, being a tree peony is just a bunch of knobbly, bare sticks through the winter. The date in late spring varies, (this year it was in the days around May 15th), and if the rain holds off this glorious plant bursts into bloom almost all at once. If such a beauty were to last all summer it would become too much. It lasts maybe a week, but each day is richer for it. It's like ripe boysenberries in a bowl of vanilla ice cream.
In contrast to this gorgeous plant, which is not mine, I have in my own garden this little monster. I waited and watched the buds slowly swell and then open up into a complicated and intriguing flower. It's hard to know what's a petal and what's a pistil with these guys - they are that strange. From bud to bloom they last at least a month. Those russet banners fall away and reveal a pale green center that hangs from the middle like an inverted parasol. The stamens are hidden up inside. I am not sure which carnivorous pitcher plant this is. We picked him up at a plant sale and I have long since lost the tag. He loves wet, boggy soils and we have found that part sun is better than a full bake in the afternoon heat - the colors are better and overall appearance less stressed. Strange and wonderful.
