My New Love

I planted my plot at Rutgers Gardens on a cool, cloudy Saturday with intermittent showers. The perfect day for setting out seedlings. A thunderstorm the following afternoon thoroughly drenched the Gardens, perfect for helping seedlings get settled into their new home. The weather forecast for the week leading up to the Memorial Day holiday is not as favorable. No rain and rising temperatures. I went to the Gardens this morning to water. I gave my plants a long drink of water, dragged the hose over to the other volunteer’s plot that was planted the same day and gave it a long drink of water too.

Then I took a walk. I’ve been looking forward to seeing the Rhododendron and Azalea Garden in bloom.

I like them much better in a woodland setting than in the typical suburban landscape. The colors seem more interesting than jarring.

I can appreciate their unique forms so much better in a naturalistic setting.

The path I was on led into the Native Plants area.

From there it was a few short steps to the Sun and Shade Garden.

I’m going to frame this one.

My last stop was the new Tribute Gardens, still being built. They will be a series of “outdoor rooms”. Right now they are working on the “Recreation Room” which will have a pair of oversized Adirondack chairs. And that’s where I saw them.

It took me a few minutes to recognize what I was looking at because I had only ever seen them in catalogs. Single peonies.

They are among those very rare flowers that look better in person than in pictures

I’m in love*.

I’ve added them to my wishlist for next year. Yes, I have a list for next year already! I’m trying to be more organized about gardening. Instead of wracking my brains during the winter trying to remember all those great plants I wanted to try and/or where I wanted to plant them, I’m making a list as I go along. It has the plants, where I can order/buy them and where I would like to plant them. In some cases, like these peonies, I have no idea where I would like to plant them, just that I HAVE to have them.

*The pictures are of three different plants hence the different colors.