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From Healing Hands to Blooming Fields: A Physician's Journey to a Peony Farm in Warren, Vermont

In the quiet, verdant valleys of Warren, Vermont, where the Mad River winds through rolling hills and sugar maples stand sentinel against the crisp mountain air, Dr. Stephanie Moore traded her stethoscope for a pair of gardening shears. A seasoned physician with over two decades in internal medicine and cardiology, Stephanie had spent her career in the bustling hospitals of Boston, mending bodies and soothing souls amid the relentless hum of monitors and pagers. Yet, after decades, she felt the pull of a different kind of healing—one rooted in soil rather than science. Her decision to start a peony farm was inspired by two patients who each separately gifted a simple bouquet of pink bliss years ago, a symbol of resilience that mirrored her own life. In Warren's fertile earth, Stephanie found not just a new vocation, but a profound metaphor for endurance, beauty, and tolerance in an unforgiving world.

The story begins in a sterile exam room, where Stephanie first encountered the peonies that would change her trajectory. It was a rainy afternoon in 2012, and her patient, Mrs. Harlow, an late fifties woman battling heart failure, arrived for what would be her final visit. Mrs. Harlow, a widow with a garden that had once been her pride, clutched a small vase of freshly cut peonies—lush, pink blooms that seemed to defy the gloom outside. "These are for you, Doctor," she said, her voice frail but warm. "They've survived winters harsher than mine. May they bring you the same strength." Stephanie, touched but pragmatic, accepted the gift with a polite smile, placing it on her desk amid stacks of charts. Little did she know, those flowers would linger in her memory long after Mrs. Harlow passed. Peonies, with their intricate layers of petals unfurling like secrets revealed, became a quiet reminder of the fragility and fortitude she witnessed daily in her patients.  In 2014, another gift of beautiful Sarah Bernhardts wrapped in newspaper and silk ribbon lay on her chair after a particularly busy clinic.  The simple card, Love Ms. G was attached. Ms. G was post kidney transplant, I had followed for her cardiac conditions before and after transplant. It was a long windy road for her successful transplant, these blooms reminded both Ms. G and Stephanie that cold dark times  come just before the birth of spring, new beginnings.

Peonies have long carried rich symbolism across cultures, embodying qualities that resonated deeply with Elena's experiences in medicine. In ancient Greek mythology, the flower is named after Paeon, the physician to the gods, who used its roots to heal wounds—a fitting parallel for Stephanie's own profession. In Chinese tradition, peonies represent prosperity, honor, and good fortune, often called the "king of flowers" for their opulent beauty and association with wealth and happiness. Victorian floriography, the language of flowers, assigns them meanings of bashfulness and compassion, their tightly budded forms hiding a spectacular bloom that emerges with patience. But beyond these cultural layers, peonies symbolize resilience: they are hardy perennials, thriving in zones as cold as USDA 3, which includes Vermont's frosty winters. Tolerant of poor soil and drought once established, they rebound year after year, their beauty undiminished by adversity. For Stephanie, who had navigated the emotional toll of losing patients and the physical demands of long shifts, peonies represented the human spirit's capacity to endure. "They're like us," she would later reflect. "Battered by storms, yet they bloom fuller each spring."

The transition from urban medicine to rural farming wasn't impulsive. After Mrs. Harlow's gift and a second gift  of peonies from a transplant patient, Stephanie began cultivating a small peony patch in her Boston suburb backyard. The act of planting—kneeling in the dirt, nurturing roots—offered a therapeutic contrast to the high-stakes precision of diagnostics. As the pandemic raged in 2020, amplifying the isolation and exhaustion of healthcare workers, Stephanie's garden became her sanctuary. She dreamed of expanding it into something more, a place where others could find solace in nature's rhythms. Warren, Vermont, emerged as the ideal location after a serendipitous visit when her oldest son started college in the state. Nestled in Washington County, Warren is a town of fewer than 2,000 souls, known for its artisanal farms, ski resorts, and unspoiled landscapes. The area's loamy soil, enriched by glacial deposits, and its moderate summers with ample rainfall proved perfect for peonies, which prefer well-drained ground and full sun. Stephanie and her husband purchased a large-acre plot in 2020, with views of the Green Mountains, and named it Two Pond Acres.

Starting the farm was a only possible because of local help in Mad River.  Her master gardner friend, Jeanne and a local flower farmer, both consulted on the project. Stephanie, accustomed to the controlled environment of hospitals, faced the unpredictability of agriculture. Peonies require three to five years to mature from bare-root divisions, demanding patience she had honed in medicine but now tested anew.  Her first 100 peonies were planted in fall 2025. She  hopes to diversify her crop with more varieties, from the ruffled 'Sarah Bernhardt' to the rare tree peony hybrids, attracting visitors for u-pick sessions and supplying flower shops. The farm's  future beauty—imagined fields exploding in pinks, reds, and whites each June— will hopefully be a hub for visitors and locals.

The parallels between Stephanie's medical career and her  backyard farming life deepened her appreciation for peonies' symbolism. In medicine, she had fostered tolerance—listening to diverse patients, navigating ethical dilemmas, and enduring systemic pressures. In her small suburban garden, tolerance manifested in ecological harmony: peonies, as pollinator magnets, supported bees and butterflies, promoting biodiversity. Their beauty wasn't superficial; it was earned through seasons of dormancy and growth, much like healing from illness. She envisions June retreats centering on all the lessons that ever resilient peonies teach. The true success from backyard suburban experiment to rural flower farm will be apparent through years of connection with locals and visitors.

The peonies, gifts from one patient long gone and another bouquet from a patient receiving a new organ, symbolize not just beauty but a life's pivot toward renewal. In Vermont's embrace, Dr. Moore has planted 100 peonies  to date and hopes to add another 200 this year. Success will be gifting beautiful bouquets to those who need a reminder of how adaptable, resilient and fragrant life can be.

Stephanie Moore

Authors note: Thank you to Jeanne Nicklaus, Master Gardener and Walt from MFF for your help in this endeavor! I’m excited for this next season!  "