The Peonies are Coming!!!

Probably the most money my mother ever spent on herself was/is represented by a peony forest. To the side of the house she planted a peony garden that now, after 12 years, can actually be walked into like a forest. If you've ever smelled a peony you can imagine how glorious it is to be full inside a forest of them. Her peony flowers grow so big one flower covers your entire face. You can put your whole face inside of one and the petals reach right back to your ears.

So I bought myself a peony bulb three years ago and planted it to have a little bit of this heaven for my own. Every year for the past 3 yrs this sad little thing would grow up in spring, produce an even sadder excuse for a bud which would make the sad little stem droop over and the bud would promptly fall off to wither away and die.

"What's the secret Mum? What do you do to make these peonies grow?"

"Nothing, " she said, "I just leave them alone to do their own things."

Hmmm.

But now, only the first week after the little stem showed I can see many healthy hearty & happenin shoots coming out of my little peony bulb and I expect great great things.