The spring before my wedding, I bought a peony plant. I’ve always loved peonies, and I dreamed of clipping the beautiful blooms from my own front yard to arrange in my bridal bouquet. It was a symbol of the hope and joy that was coming. As I nurtured and cared for the plant in preparation, it mirrored my own preparation for our wedding day. I was watering myself with the wisdom of those who had gone before, experiencing the necessary pruning and growing as I learned to be a fiancée and, soon, a wife.
Spring came and went. As summer approached, it became disappointingly obvious that my sweet peony bush was not going to flower that summer. After some research, I discovered this is typical. In fact, according to Gardeners.com, “Peonies rarely bloom the first year after planting. It often takes three years before you see an abundant display of flowers. But once the plants do start blooming, you can look forward to a lifetime of beautiful flowers.”
You see, the work you put into a peony bush does not yield immediate results. You must continue to care for and tend to it while trusting that the fruit of your labor will come. In the case of peonies,
“If a peony is well-situated and happy, it may bloom for 100 years or more with little or no attention. This means it’s worth spending some time up front, choosing the right planting location and preparing the soil. That said, there are many stories about forgotten peony plants found blooming in the woods against old cellar holes. But like all plants, peonies will be healthier, more vigorous and more floriferous if they have ideal growing conditions.”
Did you catch that? A well-situated peony will bloom for 100 years or more! Sure, they can bloom in an old cellar hole, but thriving peonies do so because time was spent preparing for the harvest up front.
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