Just to prove that I am not completely fixated on my peonies (that didn't sound right), here are some other blooms in and about my garden during this fantastic time of year.
Veronica just about on its last legs but hoping the periodic deadheading will extend it a bit further:
Physocarpus (Ninebark) 'Diablo' just started blooming and looks OK; I still value it mostly for the foliage:
Geranium 'Brookside' which I've been rather critical of in the past, looks good now that it is allowed to roam wild a bit:
Itea 'Henry's Garnet' doesn't blow you away in bloom, but it is reliable and performs so well in my native bed where it is consistently moist/wet:
I know I am going to enjoy Amsonia 'Blue Ice' for years to come as six of these were planted just last fall as tiny plugs and they already look fantastic. Not to mention they are ignored by the deer and the rabbits and survived wet feet this past winter:
Blooms nice, the rest ... not so much. I am losing it for Tradescantia (Spiderwort) 'Sweet Kate' so they better shape up soon or they are gone:
Penstemon 'Husker's Red' just about to bloom in full; give it about a 7 on a scale of 1 to 10:
First blooms on Hypericum 'Albury Purple':
Spirea 'Snow Storm' ... hmmmm ... takes up space ... blooms are "decent" ... suppresses weeds since better than bare ground ... guess she can stay: