Peonies, pre-perfection

Each spring, the peonies that I brought up from my mother's garden in Maryland start off with burgundy-flushed foliage.



The tender stems and leaves are the most beautiful deep shade that, with maturity, passes to green.



Even this early, flowers are forming and ants are sipping nectar from the buds. The peony hoops went in yesterday--while the plants were young, flexible, and promising of perfection.