Saving the Peony

In my garden, I'm a let-it-fall-where-it-may kind of girl.  I don't stake, I don't pull weeds if there's a chance they may be wildflowers, and if a plant needs a lot of care, it probably won't make it to next year.

It's why I love peonies.  They are basically carefree and have come up in my garden year after year.  The ONLY thing that can be a bit discouraging about peonies, is that rain can take down a pretty bloom in seconds flat.

As the rain from tropical storm Andrea quickly approached a couple days ago, I realized that I hadn't truly appreciated my peonies this year.  Their blooms were out, but life got in the way and I never stopped to ... well ... smell the peonies.

So this year, right before the rain, I staked them.  The massive rains came and damage was to a minimum.  I forgot to cut some of the blooms before the rain to keep in the house, but after the rain they didn't look too shabby.

{ all digital brushes by Katie Pertiet }

Or did they look shabby?  I mean shabby in a good way.  Shabby chic peonies.

Note for next year:  Stake peonies early - it's totally worth it!