You get a better view from your knees

Oh Adam was a gardener, and God who made him sees
That half a proper gardener's work is done upon his knees"
Rudyard Kipling "The Glory of the Garden"

It strikes me every now and then that I should keep my camera beside me when I'm grubbing around doing some weeding "upon my knees". I compromise by leaving it on a stump or nearby stairs (otherwise I'll plant the darn thing by accident or leave it out in the rain) and fetching it whenever I see something I rather like.

And this view of Peony 'Red Magic' was one of the delightful visions of yesterday.

It really is important to be on your knees in the garden if you want to know what's really going on. And while I try to minimize knee time by mulching my perennial garden with 3-4 inches of wood chips, I still get to assume the posture. I'm all the better for it I note in hindsight.