My friend Cathy and I spent the morning this past Friday strolling through and drooling over the lovelies at Big Bloomers, a remarkable nursery just on the outskirts of Sanford, NC. It's HUGE and has such a vast selection of plants, veggies, yard ornaments, hanging baskets, flags - the list is endless. After Big Bloomers we made the short drive to Dale's/Dale's Too where, again, we oohed and aahhed. We didn't linger there too long, however, because by now our tummies were letting us know it was lunch time and we needed to head toward Miss Lacy's Tea Room...
If ever you're in central North Carolina you really must make time to have lunch here. But come early because she closes promptly at 2:00. And feel free to order anything on the menu, it's ALL good, especially the desserts...and for you locals who haven't been lately, they've paved the back area and it's now a REAL parking lot!! Yeah!
Back to my peony...This little bush was planted about, oh I'm guessing, 5 years ago. Either the first or second year it bloomed BEAUTIFULLY!!! After that, N-O-T-H-I-N-G! Every year in the early spring I clear the area around it, carefully scraping the dirt under the bush to loosen it to allow the plant plenty of easy access to punch through the ground and every year it would grow and get full and the leaves would be lush and the buds would be great in number and size and I could see the white of the petals just about to BURST and then N-O-T-H-I-N-G. They would simply become brown, dry up and go away... But this year, this year...I HAVE BLOOMS!! The only thing I can think of is that the ants came and "did their thing" to this little bush. I've heard a Peony needs ants. And I did see BLACK ants all over the bush, which I haven't seen in the past. Whatever the reason, I am a happy girl! I LOVE my peony bush - and it smells SO good!!
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