On May 28th., I was in Oshawa and luckily had my camera with me. With 30 minutes to spare before an appointment, I decided to visit the Oshawa Botanical Gardens at the Children’s Arena, 155 Arena St. I realized that the Peony Festival wasn’t scheduled until June 13th. but often, the earliest peonies bloom before the festival.
I wasn’t to be disappointed! Most of the tree peonies, with their splendid giant blossoms, were at their peak. A few of the bush peonies were also in bloom.
Although it was nearly noon and a very sunny day, I managed to stand in the shade or focus on some peonies that happened to be shaded by some larger trees nearby. The lighting was tricky but I was pleased with the results of a few shots which I will share with you.
It is great to attend the Peony Festival, however, a sneak peek ahead of the event is often the best time to take photos especially if you use a tripod. It is a very popular event and throngs of people attend. I will include the link for your information. https://www.oshawa.ca/things-to-do/peony-festival.asp
Jane Walker's Cards 
Hi Jane I was there today and as you said there are some beautiful Peonies right now. Have you been to Carden lately? It has been wonderful this past week.
Maybe you could e-mail me with a few Carden Alvar photos. I’d love to see what I have missed!
Jane
Beautiful shots!
Thanks, Debi. You are always so encouraging. Jane
Hi Jane,
How serendipitous. I saw Anja today and I asked about you and mused whether I might see you at the Peony Festival. And here you are with these beautiful photos to whet my appetite. I hope there will be blooms left in 9 days!
I have been enjoying your birds and flowers photos. Take care.
Eveline
Eveline, so nice to hear from you. I am sure that there will still be peonies for the festival and then there are always so many indoors that have been submitted for judging.
Glad you’ve liked the birds and flowers. Jane
Beautiful shots Jane – isn’t nature grand!! I hope to get out to the garden soon. I lost one peony bush this year and the other seems to have a lot of buds – hoping they will bloom this year as they haven’t for several years – praying! L
Date: Fri, 5 Jun 2015 21:59:09 +0000 To: linda_down@hotmail.com
Although I have lovely spring flowers, my peonies do not put on a nice display. The flowers are very small and they don’t seem to improve even as the plant ages. My green thumb has no influence on them. That’s why I take most of my peony photos at Oshawa Botanical Gardens! Jane
You took beautiful photos of these peonies and under the worst light for flower photography. Although some say there is no bad light, I do think that photographing flowers at noon and under a harsh sun is not easy but you did great ! There was a lot of varieties and they are all so pretty.
Lovely photos Jane. Happy summer to you !
Jocelyn, your positive comments are greatly appreciated. The flowers on your blog always have a dream-like quality to them. I hope you are enjoying this cool but sunny weather. My gardens are flourishing. I will feature some in my next post.