Up here in NH we are probably a couple of weeks behind. Our daffodils just lost their blooms. Tulips are flowering but they'll probably drop soon. Apple trees are peaking.
Peony are fantastic plants. The greenery looks great after the early summer blooms are gone. They live a long time - 50 years or so. They can be divided although the new divisions will take a few years to establish.
I visited a peony farm a few years ago and the guy has a ton of different varietys. Japanese and American, single, double, old fashioned. He said a couple of them cost $20,000. Some people get obsessed with them like Koi.
Ants enjoy the sweet casing around the bud but its a myth that the plants require ants to make them open.
