The Proud Peony

It's not often that I am proud of myself over something. I think naturally you don't think about it do you and all of a sudden you have an achievement which really is quite outstanding, and it is a moment when inwardly you can finally feel you accomplished something. I mean, I get it if the washing basket is empty and all clothes are dried and put away, but that realistically does not happen all that often so when it does their is real elation!

I also get it with house stuff, like completing a painting task and you can enjoy viewing your hard work. But nothing really has compared to the elation I felt when I got my first peony crop the other day and I felt I had to write about it. Now, these peonies have been in the ground for 2 years. Yep, I planted them 2 years ago, one as a plant and one a bulb. Last year the plant grew into a bush and had tiny buds on but they didn't grow at all and the bulb showed no signs of life at all. Then this year it was actually the bulb that sprouted first then the plant regrew and they have both given me 3 big heads and a good few more small ones still growing. I was beginning to lose hope as we entered June and was thinking that they weren't going to bloom but each day I watched as the ants ate away the sticky sap {that's what they actually do to make them bloom} and all of a sudden I noticed that a couple had just popped. I don't leave flowers out in the garden for long, I grow them for me to enjoy so even though it was raining on Saturday morning I popped out and cut my first few heads. I was so pleased. Really, this is an achievement for me and with my pretty roses coming through too I feel like for the first year my garden has given me what I wanted! 

These peonies very much made me feel like I was doing the right thing. I am not a constant gardener, I don't have all the sprays and products to give flowers the boost they apparently need but I try to tend to them and keep their soil as clear as I can so that they get the best growth possible. 

The reality is, maybe I am lucky or maybe by not fussing them too much they have produced as quickly as they could. All I know is that this is just the beginning of me becoming a bit more green fingered and having a perfect cutting garden.