My Peony Finally Bloomed

In April 2002, Clara and I moved into our current space. In back, there was a patio with a small garden plot, that is mostly in the shade. There were three scattered hyacinths blooming and a scraggly plant coming up through the mud. I thought it was some sort of tree that was starting to grow. But it was a peony bush that someone had planted. It was only knee-high and never blossomed. The next year it came back but didn't blossom because there was too much shade. Each year, it would return, trying to grow faster than the trees that were cutting off the sunlight. Two years ago, the property owners paid a landscaper to come and remove dead branches from trees. Some sunlight finally started hitting the little garden plot and the peony looked like it would actually bloom. But the blossoms died before the sunlight could hit them. Over the winter and through the early spring of this year, enough branches were taken off and some sunlight has finally hit the the little peony plant. Then came rain - a lot of it. It rained pretty steady in mid-April for nine straight days. The peony was literally growing before my eyes. I saw the bud develop and finally, today two large blooms were open. They were so full and heavy that I had to tie a few branches of the plant to support it. I cut off the blooms and put them in water. Another bloom will be opening tomorrow. The fragrance is heavenly. What a determined plant!