Perennial Welcome

     One of the most enchanting aspects of spring is the emergence of perennials. Almost overnight they awaken and push their first tender shoots through the soil and lingering leaf cover. Only one week ago the ground was hidden beneath a layer of snow and ice, and seemingly overnight - voila! Fragrant lemon mint is pictured to the right, and below are dusty miller (an anuual that often behaves otherwise in my garden), heuchera, astilbe, and oregano.

Peonies were already in the ground when we bought the house twenty-five years ago. Along the back fench are a gorgeous pink Sarah Bernhardt type peony, which is just now poking it's little fingers through the soil. And the last photo is of the white Festiva Maxima, which flowers much sooner, possibly because of the warmer micro-climate against the southern wall of the house.