I have always been around peonies. My mom and dad grew them, and I grow them now … well I just let them get on with the growing. This is a double peony, and it is newly blossoming. I liked the way the morning light had caught it, and tried to capture it just as it was in that moment. I tidied a few distractions up with the patch and clone tools in my photo editor, and added just a little high pass sharpening. Sometimes less is better. Double-click image to enlarge.
© Peter Hillman ♦ 6th May 2020 ♦ rear garden, South Staffordshire ♦ Nikon D7200
Nature Journeys 
Absolutely gorgeous, Pete. I love them but have only seen them in florist shops, never in residential gardens here.
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Thank you, Vicki 🙂 They flower quite early and on into early summer.
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Beautiful, Peter!
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Thank you, Anki 🙂
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My grandmother always called these ‘PINE-ees.’ It was the common pronunciation for her and her friends. It might have been because English was a second language for them all, or it might simply have been a regional variation. They were a traditional cemetery flower, partly because they’re perennials, and there was nothing more gorgeous than a cemetery filled with their blooms on Memorial Day.
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This is a beautiful capture with the sunlight highlighting the intricacies of the petals.
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Thank you, Anne 🙂
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The light is wonderful. Lovely flower, terrific photo, Pete!
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Thank you, Belinda 🙂 The light can sometimes make or break and image.
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How wonderful it must be to cultivate such a beautiful photograph from the ground up, literally. I have a brown thumb so I am envious. Absolutely gorgeous Pete!
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Thank you, Sandra 🙂 I enjoy gardening and watching things grow and bloom, but it does not always go to plan 🙂
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And they smell divine!
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They sure do, Sandy!
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A good shot under rather difficult lighting conditions. No help from a softbox sky for you today!
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Thank you, Gary. It was early in the morning so the sun was still getting higher which helped me a little 🙂
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The lighting and color are just gorgeous on this one. Beautiful. 🙂
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Thank you, Sandra 🙂 They a;ways give a beautiful display each year 🙂
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Ours dony have flower buds yet..
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Beautiful flower. I love this colour.
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Thank you 🙂
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We’ve been growing peonies since we bought our home in 1985. The first two we bought were a pale herbaceous that was heavily and heavenly scented and the second a deep red tree peony similar to your bloom here. Such a rich and pleasing color to get lost in. Very nice, Pete.
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Thank you, Steve. This is the only peony I have grown, yet your tree peony sounds really interesting.
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Yes, they are. Ours get very large flowers…some as large as dinner plates. But the branches break easily so we surround them with stakes and burlap stuffed with hay in the winter.
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A peony you could literally eat your dinner off. They must be really something.
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What a vibrant colour!
-Emma
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They are vibrant, but unfortunatey the flowering can be quite short lived, so one has to make the most of them 🙂
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Beautiful. I’ve always wanted a big peony bush, but no room.
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Thank you. This is just a plant rather than a bush, so these are low level.
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I wish we grew them, they are delightful. 🙂
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Thank you, Julie 🙂
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