Seymour man plants thousands of peonies for his wife
SEYMOUR, Ill. (WCIA) — Some people show affection by giving their loved one a bouquet of flowers. One man has taken it further — and that’s an understatement.
Now, five million people have seen this Seymour couple’s love story. It was a promise Eric Swenson made to his soon-to-be-wife Kristin.
It started when Kristin mentioned how she would love to have a thousand peonies when they were dating.
“So, Eric said if you marry me, I’ll give you those flowers.”
Five years later, they are living the married life with a yard full of peonies, and more to come.
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Eric said he also planted them for people driving by to enjoy. He’s planted so many flowers that blooms are expected to top 8,000 over the next few years.
He said the flowers pop up every spring for up to 100 years, and they are an everlasting ode to his wife.
“I think it is very strange (when people are) dating, we’re engaged, we’re really ready to tell everyone how much we love our partner,” Swenson said. “And I just don’t understand why we stop doing that. And so, every year, you know, my wife comes out in this garden, and she can see how much, very publicly, how very much I love her.”
Swenson’s efforts have even gone viral on Tik-Tok, racking up more than 700,000 likes.
Kristin says she enjoys donating bouquets of the bountiful blooms. She’s even given them away to random people to brighten their day.
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