Flowers Right Now in New York City

are purple. Like the purple pansies I planted at the front door. Pansies like cool weather so these have been happy this spring. I love climbing the steps of the stoop and seeing their smiling faces.

(click to enlarge photos)
Inside we have magenta peonies, full and luscious, each one like a ruffled ball gown which grows out of a small hard ball of a bud.

At the farmer's market there are spiky irises

and pastel cornflowers

and clouds of phlox.

I like the coolness of these purple spring colors before the hot pinks and reds of summer. This pale lilac phlox tone to me is a Swedish color. I'd like to have a room painted this hue, like a library. Right now our library – I say library, it's our office/guest room/library – is painted grey but it doesn't read grey to me, it reads dark white. Next time I think I will try a soothing Swedish purple color like this phlox.