"Earth laughs in Flowers" ~ Emerson~

All the flowers of all the tomorrows are in the seeds of today.

~ Indian Proverb

.....Spring is my favourite season ..... The Earth begins to warm a little.....the birds start nesting.....the first of the butterflies appears and all seems right with the World.

So halfway through Winter I am thinking of Spring. The first glimpse of sun and my thoughts turn towards the garden......Nature never fails to amaze me..... a little caterpillar turns into a beautiful butterfly, a tiny tuft of grey, skin with a gaping mouth turns into a swallow and a small point of red will turn into a gorgeous peony. At least that is my Hope!!!!
I adore peonies..... they are right up there with the Rose ~ the so-called Queen of Flowers. But can I grow them.... not yet....but I have decided this year is going to be THE ONE. My tiny little red points peeking through the soil are going to blossom into stunning bushes and eventually reward me with frilly blooms in the palest of pinks, the brightest of magentas and the purest of whites.
I spoke to the Nurseyman.....begging for ideas as to what I did wrong when my last peonies grew into beautiful bushes and that was it.....No flowers.....they faded, returned to winter in the soil and never reappeared. He gave me tips....I had done them all..... and then went on to say he had just come back from China where stunning peonies were growing by the wayside in the poorest of conditions. Now, how does THAT work???? Did I give them too much care? Did I smother them with attention instead of letting Mother Nature nurture them? Who knows????

This time I am going to tread gently.....watch them quietly from a distance......and hope sometime soon I am gathering baskets of their beautiful bounty. Until then, I guess I will have to make do with the silks. Not the real thing but stunning anyway........

Are not flowers the stars of the earth, and are not our stars the flowers of the heaven.

- A.J. Balfour

Wishing you arms full of Blossoms,

Sue