This spring in Philadelphia has been cool and wet which has been wonderful for prolonging the bloom time of azaleas and rhododendrons and other plants.

Here are a couple of pictures of what is blooming in the garden right now: Columbine, geranium, peony, and iris.

Peonies may be my favorite flower of all. I love the large, pillowy flowers with their bright centers. My grandma in Cincinnati had a peony bush in the backyard. It was one of those pink bomb types which weighed the stems to the ground so the peony dragged its petals in the dirt. She would cut those and bring them inside and then the ants would crawl out, marching to and fro across the kitchen table. searching for a way to return to the green grass.