A peony is the star of the show in Jen’s garden. PG photo

It was a glorious morning today, Saturday, when we spotted Jen working in the beds surrounding her purple Victorian home. She is an enthusiastic gardener who has successfully transformed the periphery of her corner property  into an English-style natural-looking garden. She is especially enjoying her efforts this spring, because the plants are doing so well.

Allium balls are surrounded by roses and lambs’ ear. Daylillies await their turn in the back

According to Eileen Goldfinger, Blogfinger’s food and garden editor, the warm winter and the cool spring, coupled with light rains, have resulted in remarkable results in gardens around the Grove.

Delphinium are tall and purple.

The most obvious change has been the early emergence of roses all over town. Usually roses bloom in June, but they began flowering this April, and now they already are almost past their peak. Jen tells us that some annuals that usually vanish due to winter are now blooming again. Her perennials are also  coming in larger and with more blooms than usual. The foxglove’s “as high as an elephant’s eye and it looks like it’s climbin’ clear up to the sky.”  (lyric courtesy of Rodgers and Hammerstien from “Oklahoma” opening song.)

It’s such a happy day that we need some music to go with it. Hurricane Smith delights his girl with “flowers every day…and walks along the Milky Way.” What would you say if you had that?      —Paul Goldfinger