"Delayed Gratification"

It's that time of year now and I'm a little excited about what's blooming.  So bear with me, you may have to endure a few gardening post throughout the Spring and Summer. 

My grandma used to always refer to delayed gratification.  It was a concept that, at the time, was a little hard for me to comprehend.  I now know that she basically meant that anything worth having is worth waiting for.  Of course over the years, it’s become a concept that I’m intimately acquainted with and I think one of the best naturally occurring examples is evident in gardening.

When I purchased my very first peony four years ago, I recall asking the gentleman at the nursery if it would yield any blooms that spring.  He replied, “It should.”  So I waited in tip-toed anticipation all spring and summer for a bloom to appear...

....to no avail.  Frustrated, I searched the Internet and found a clever adage referring to the growth cycle of perennials like my peony.  It said, “The first year they sleep, the second year they creep and the third year they leap.”  Honestly, I was relieved that I hadn’t done anything wrong, but saddened that I’d have to wait two more YEARS for those big showy blooms to appear. 



Martha Stewart

Photo Source



Year after year, I waited....

Year 1

So, needless to say, on year two when these three blooms appeared, I was thrilled.

Year 2

Then on year three, a whopping 16 blooms!  Well, it's year four and I can hardly keep up. 


Year 4


I think Grandma was right....

Some things are just worth waiting for.

Source

Interested in learning more about Peonies?  Click HERE!

Did you enjoy this blog post?  Let me know by leaving a  comment.  I'd love to hear from you.  

NOTE:  Reading via email?  Simply click on the Dwell by Cheryl logo ABOVE

 

...located at the top of this email to be redirected to the website and click on the "COMMENTS- CLICK HERE TO JOIN THE CONVERSATION" link at the end of today's post.