Soft pink peonies (P. lactiflora) are making their last appearance here as a heat wave is due this week, which surely will end their glorious reign. Similarly, the last of the columbines (Aquilegia vulgaris) with their interesting seed heads. Carolina lupine (Thermopsis villosa) are just beginning to open, so there is always another perennial to take over the spotlight. Ox-eye daisy (Leucanthemum vulgare), catmint (Nepeta racemosa), ladies mantle (Alchemilla mollis) and Korean dogwood (Cornus kousa) finish the vase.
Thanks to Cathy at Rambling in the Garden who hosts the weekly garden meme In A Vase On Monday, featuring flowers from our gardens. Click the link to join or see what others are sharing this week.
Eliza Waters 
Peonies do not bloom into summer? They do not perform well here, so I am unfamiliar with them.
They bloom for about 2 weeks, depending on how cool it stays. That’s why we revel in them while they are here. Heat and heavy rain send them over much more quickly.
Eliza, your peonies are extraordinary and beautifully displayed in your vase. I’m sorry to hear about your incoming heatwave this week. We’ve had a few days in the mid-nineties, and it’s still a week or so away from summer solstice. I fear it could be a long, dry summer. Enjoy what you can in the morning hours. I’ll be thinking of you.
Thank you, Alys! x
Yes, it will have to be early and late that we can enjoy being outside. Hopefully, shutting the house up will keep it relatively cooler.
Lovely.
Thank you, Rupali.
Perfection! The photo looks like a painting.
I hope the heat wave is a short one.
Thank you, Audrey! A lovely compliment. 🙂
Supposed to be 3-4 days, then a few days of thunderstorms, which the plants will like after the heat dome.
You seem to have a bounty of beautiful flowers in your garden. I thoroughly enjoy seeing your arrangements.
Thank you, Anne. After 30+ years, I have filled the place and there is always something in bloom all season. I often have 4 vases regularly in the living areas. Makes winter seem so empty… I have to resort to store bought bouquets, which of course, aren’t quite the same or numerous.
What a beautiful vase Eliza, the peonies have been glorious this year! 🏵
Thank you, Xenia. They really have been wonderful. Hard to see the end of them… onward!
Beautiful
Merci!
Eliza, your creativity, always on display is inspiring. I particularly love this arrangement. It has a beautiful, yet simple elegance about
it that feels like a soft relaxing moment with a cup of tea. 💜🙏🏻
What a nice compliment, Carrie. Thank you! x
Gorgeous!
Thank you, Nancy!
Beautiful! It has been a great Clematis and Peony season, and it sure looks like the Hydrangeas are going to really put on a show as well. I’ve never seen so many blooms on any of these plants.
Thank you, Judy! Yes, it really has been surprising. It must of been all the rain we put up with last year. A reward!
We have such a similar garden palette! We’re also getting that heat dome this week – NOT looking forward to it however it should only last a few days…and a rather large cloud is dumping rain on us at the moment so the garden will be well watered and prepared. I saw some really gorgeous yellow peonies at a flower show on Saturday, one was an Itoh I believe – I wonder how well they’d go with the pinks, white and red already in the garden…
Thanks, Chris. Yeah, definitely not looking forward to the heat, but happy we aren’t in TX, where it is hot every day!
I have never grown Itoh peonies… their prices have always scared me away! 😉
A lovely finale for the peonies and their companions. Your vases are always have such pleasing compositions. It sounds like it will be as hot up there in New England as it is down here. Yikes!
Thank you, Barbara. Yes, we’re preparing to be inside a lot this week. Up to now, it’s been great gardening weather. Kind of like preparing for a storm! Nature dishing up her stuff. 😉
If gorgeous was a bouquet that would be it. Splendid Eliza!!!!
Thank you kindly, Dawn! 🙂
Absolutely gorgeous bouquet especially the pale pink peonies. They actually made me swoon. Yes spring is abruptly ending here too as the heat presses down this week. Stay cool!
Thank you, Donna, glad you liked it! I will miss those fluffy, fragrant blooms.
Stay cool as well! 😎
Bouquets like this always evoke white tablecloths and crystal goblets — beautiful!
What a lovely compliment, Linda. Thank you!
Grand and gorgeous…a beautiful shade of pink.
Thank you, Alice!
You’re welcome kindly 🤪
All hail to the queen of the garden!
Truly! Thanks, Monika. 🙂
They are gorgeous Eliza.
Thank you, Dawn. 🙏🏼
The peonies are such a lovely pale pink color, Eliza. They combine beautifully with the soft yellows too. I hope the expected heatwave isn’t too nasty.
Thank you, Kris. We’re bracing for it, hubby got the portable AC units in this morning (yay, we won’t die, lol!) And I got the last (yeah, right) big jobs done in the garden until the weather turns more pleasant. 🙂
You cannot beat peonies. Your arrangement reminds me of a wedding bouquet.
Thanks much, and with the bridemaids wearing pastel pink and lemon chiffon!
The peonies look especially lovely against the soft greens, Eliza. What are the spikes that almost look like wheat or some other grain?
Thank you, Cathy. Those are Thermopsis villosa, native to the SE US.
The peonies are putting on a fine show! Ah, summer, there’s always something blooming 😊
Isn’t it the best? Thanks, Belinda!
Such a shame peonies don’t last longer into the season. The ones in my area faded faster than usual, compliments of the high heat and humidity. What a lovely vase you’ve prepared though!
Thanks much, Debbie. I guess perhaps we appreciate them all the more because they are ephemeral. I picked the last smaller buds this morning as the heat rolled in. I will cherish them. 🙂
I love it. If I had peonies they would be stripped of flowers and vases in every room. I love the vase and the mixture. Here’s hoping it is not too hot.
Thank you, Amy. You guessed it, I cut all available buds this morning, enough for a vase.
I scrambled to get the big jobs done in the garden early on, so now I’m good to just hunker down ’til it passes.
It weirds me out if it is warmer there! I guess you are getting that heat dome thing.
Tues-Fri. won’t be fun, but it’s doable. Short forays outside, mostly early and late in the day. Summer’s arriving like a steam engine!
Amazing how big the peonies get!
They are fluffy, scented puffballs!
Oh, the Peonies are so, so lovely. Mine are finished blooming for the season. They are wonderful blooms, and you have displayed them so beautifully!
Thank you, Beth!
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That is beautiful Eliza. Glad you cut some peonies before the heat spoils them. It’s in the upper 20s here this week too. Stay cool!
Thank you, Cathy. Outdoor work must be done before 10 a.m…. then it is reading time!
The soft tender pink of the peonies is stunning. Beautiful, I know you’ll miss them, but glad there are more things in the pipeline to keep you looking ahead. The ladies mantle is a great addition to the vase. We’re very hot and dry here too.
Thank you, Susie. While it seems they pass too quickly, their ephemeral nature only serves to make us enjoy them all the more while they are here. 💕
Lovely! I am displaying them too.
Thank you, they are such beautiful flowers!
I often go for bold colors, but may have to change my mind after the gorgeous soft pink peonies!! Stay safe and cool this week!!🙂
Thank you so much! 🙂
Such elegant flowers ❤️
Thank you, Isha! xo