It rained all last week, and it looks as though this week may serve up more of the same. I believe, though, that those dreary skies may be just what my peach asters needed to coax them into bloom at last.

Like a number of the faithful bloomers in my garden, I received these as pass-alongs in a plant swap a few years ago, and the donor did not know the plant’s name. I suspect it may be Chrysanthemum ‘Single Apricot,’ also known as Chrysanthemum x ‘Single Apricot Korean.’  They have multiplied assertively, but not aggressively, in a spot that I would describe as having bright shade.

I adore this color. It may appear a bit more pink than it actually is; it has a definite, clear orange tint to it, like the color of cooked shrimp. Yet it is a soft tone, unlike my beloved electric orange zinnias or the brassy mums that light up my border from across the garden.

Alas, they make terrible cut flowers, drooping irrevocably within a day. But perhaps if I must linger in the garden in order to appreciate them, then it is just as well.