Flower Friday: Peony Edition

What's this? Why it's a new flower making an appearance in my garden, the peony.

After a solid twenty years of trying, I've finally managed to grow myself a peony. Time to take a peony victory lap!

It smells absolutely amazing and has the most fascinating center. I've tried at least four times to plant these, and in the first case, our dog, Zelda decided to dig up the tubers and carry it around. I'd replant it, then she'd dig it up again. Maybe it smelled exciting to her somehow? I never figured that one out. But the upshot was that the plant didn't get a fair chance to try and grow. The last few times the plants have leafed out and gotten pretty big, but then a surprise heat wave has crisped them to bits before they could flower. I guess the timing was finally right this year, or maybe it was the strangely late rain that we got last month? Who really knows, but now that the plants are established, fingers crossed, they'll re-flower next year.

I have to say that it's playing very nicely with these rather common in comparison purple irises.

They really do look nice together, don't they?

This was in portrait mode, which blurs out the background. I like all the shadows on the petals.