PEONIES

I love the Spring. It’s not my favorite season, per se, but the warmer temperatures and emerging buds always fill me with a sense of hope and vigor. 

Growing up in Pennsylvania, I remember the peonies growing like crazy in my mom’s flower garden. Huge showy blooms in shades of pink or white that not only looked amazing, but SMELLED amazing. (They also attracted gigantic ants, but perhaps that’s a blog for another day….)

Freshly cut peonies from my mom’s garden in PA.

Fast forward to (never mind how many years) my current home in South Carolina and I am peoniless. For years I just accepted the fact that, due to the scorching summer heat, peonies could not flourish in good ol’ Zone 7. (Fun Fact: Apparently the peony pod must have so many consecutive days of freezing temperatures so its outer layer can “crack” open to allow for spring growth. Quite problematic for the more temperate South.) 

BUT THEN, one fine spring day on a Saturday morning, my family and I were making our weekly pilgrimage to our local home improvement store and I stopped dead in my tracks. I may have (most certainly did) squealed when I saw pots upon pots of peonies for sale. In the SOUTH for crying out loud!! Apparently there is a variety that tolerates warmer temperatures. All those wasted years…… 

So I begged my husband for one and he acquiesced. (I didn’t have to beg too hard - my husband is a very generous man!). I situated them in the garden - even spray painted a planter to put them in - and stepped back to watch them flower. 

And kept watching. 

And kept watching. 

But…nothing. All spring and summer long, nothing but leaves. Despite my watering and coaxing and feeding, my southern variety of peonies did not bloom. 

So in the fall, I cut it back to a few inches and waited all winter long to see if it would re-emerge. 

Now those of you that live in the Midlands of South Carolina like me, know there are actually 10 versions of Spring and everything starts to emerge starting in February.

Trees began budding. My porch plants showed signs of life. Weeds in my vegetable garden sprouted overnight (to be fair - they pretty much thrive year round.) But, alas, my peony looked like nothing but some sticks in the dirt. I gave the sticks a little tug expecting them to break off at the soil line but…they didn’t. Hmm….

I went about my business and returned a few days later and - still sticks in the dirt. Sigh. But, I watered them along with the roses and forsythia and calla lilies and didn’t think much about it. 

One day soon after, reinvigorated with a fresh wave of gardening inspiration, I bolted from the house determined to at least turn the earth in the peony pot to prepare for another - hopefully more successful - type plant.  

WHAT DID I FIND!? The peonies literally sprouted OVERNIGHT.

Signs of life at last!

Now that got me thinking. How often am I tempted to give up on a project because I didn’t see the fruits of the labor? How often am I tempted to give in because of my own impatience?

I don’t know if the peonies will bloom, but I had a good reminder this Spring about having “trust in the process.” Perhaps one morning I’ll wake up to find a peony rivaling one from my mother’s garden! 

Growth after less than one week.

What about you? Has there been a time that you have been tempted to give up and decided to wait just a little bit longer? Leave a comment below or click BackChat to let me know!