All the peonies are popping. I guess my tree peony was pretty early, because none of the others bloomed until last week. Unfortunately, it was during the monsoons, so by the time I was able to get in the garden yesterday, mine were all past their expiration dates. It's a shame, but there's always next year. there's a lot of delayed gratification in a garden. That's the nature of the beast.

Tony's poppies are popping, too, now:


He's got a couple different kinds, and we were just admiring how the pollen seems to come in a variety of colors—from a rich olive green to a deep purple—there's even a good deal of variation in the same species, seems like.

And the roses are out all over the Fens:


And one last little surprise I somehow failed to post last week, a jack-in-the-pulpit growing out in front of my neighbor Rob's fence, sort of nestled under some ferns. Try not to get too excited, now...