Ready for commencement visitors, with help from the garden

Hays is a bustling place right now because of Fort Hays State University's commencement on Saturday. Those who are attending convocations and receptions on Friday have begun arriving in town this afternoon--I'm waiting for a couple to check in as I write this.

Everything here is ready to go. I've tried to give a nod to FHSU's school colors of black and gold, but the black is a challenge. Dark chocolate cupcakes are perched on the sideboard, with gold napkins beside. I did see some black icing in a tube at the grocery store, and I know I've seen it on bakery cakes, but I just couldn't bring myself to use it. Instead I chose substance over style--dark chocolate cake with milk chocolate frosting--all homemade, natch. That'll have to be close enough to black.

There are dozens of yellow irises blooming on the south side of the house, so there's my gold for the dining table centerpiece. The closest I can come to black flora are the majestic dark maroon irises just starting to open in the front flower bed (the outer petals are almost black) and the dark maroon leaves of the ornamental plums in the back garden.

The spring flowers are so happy to be in the sunshine today after a week of rain and cool temperatures. I cut an armload of irises and peonies to place in the guest rooms and in the common rooms. They're all so beautiful and devinely fragrant.

Peonies are one of my absolute favorite flowers. Hays is the first place I've ever lived where they will grow, and they do flourish here (and all over Kansas). All of my plants were given to me by other gardners who were dividing their ever-expanding clumps, and I was very happy to take them. I learned that peonies require patience. Although the plants thrived, it was three years before any buds appeared in the spring, and most of those didn't open. I sought advice from local gardners wise in the way of the peony. After checking that all conditions were favorable, they patiently advised me to be patient. As predicted, my peonies gradually lived up to their promise, yielding more flowers each year. This spring I have a bumper crop. It's heaven.

By next week I should be able to start cutting roses! One of my Pat Austins has buds that are already showing a bit of color, so it won't be long now.