Perfume

I need to straighten up a bit and smell the flowers. I probably should have heeded the advice to start small and get things under control before adding new beds, especially as I kept dividing the little to spread over the much. Those darn weeds hate to see any bare ground. But my peonies are really doing well this year and I have a big bouquet on the table that makes everything so worthwhile. I've also left the roses alone and they, too, are doing well. I stick to the hardy Canadian Explorer roses and the Morden roses that have been developed in Morden which is in my province. I try to get the fragrant ones right up near the house. I don't find the roses to be very demanding and they come thru winter without needing much more than some pruning and of course the peonies live forever. I have realized I'd rather not fuss with my plants so I try not to get the big doubles that tend to flop and I'll cut those that do for fresh flowers in the house. The roses aren't the big teas but they are still charming and suited to our farmsite. The bulk of my beds are mixed plantings but I try to have a sprinkling of flowers happening somewhere in each bed so there is always a flowering focal point.
Now that I've got a few of the kinks out, I think I'll go for a stroll and a sniff before I retire.