Fabulous Flowers

I cut back the Rugosa roses almost to the ground this spring, and my efforts began to be rewarded with this, the first Rugosa blossom of the year:

The Ninebark buds began to open:

And the giant Iris, which I planted two years ago, blossomed. This was a bi-colored flower, and the small, yellow one behind it is the old fashioned type which came with the farm:

A giant purple Iris, so heavy the stem fell over:

And a giant pink Iris:

And my old fashioned white Peonies started blooming abundantly:

They are having their best year ever:

 The old fashioned rose which I rescued got cut down to the ground this spring and hasn't bloomed yet this year, but its offspring, started by putting a cutting in the ground with a bottle over it, is blooming nicely:

A close-up:

One of the two Morden roses I planted last year is already putting on a show. This is the Morden Blush variety. The other variety is budding, so should bloom soon:

The Mock Orange bush burst into bloom:

I collected some of the flowers in a vase and took them to church. Alas, I learned that Oriental Poppies wilt quickly when cut. Besides the Poppy, I included Peonies, three varieties of Iris, Mock Orange and Ninebark: