Man dedicated to keeping a promise creates garden with thousands of his wife's favorite flowers

Sowing seeds of love to turn life into a fragrant garden may sound like a metaphor fit for poems. But it only represents the inevitability of relationships being shaped by loyalty and commitment that both partners give to it. But one man's dedication to a promise he made to his wife led to the creation of a literal garden where her favorite flowers bloom every spring. Kristin Swenson, also known as @helloitskristin on TikTok, is on cloud nine after her husband Eric Swenson fulfilled his promise of planting 1000 peonies for her five years later. Calling him a "man of grand gestures," Kristin shared the beautiful outcomes of Eric's heartfelt efforts, and the video garnered viral acclaim.

Earlier this May, Kristin's TikTok became a chronicle of how Eric's promise took shape. In her very first video, she mentioned that Eric vowed to plant 1000 peonies while proposing to her, if she said yes. "Based on my dating history, I was pretty sure he was just love-bombing me. Surely, he and his promise would disappear before a single bulb went into the ground," the text overlay read. But the wife admitted that she was so wrong because right after she said yes to him, Eric began working on his promise in a local community garden. Once the duo purchased their own home, the plants were transferred to their garden and Eric's endeavor continued in full swing.

Five years later, the couple's garden now has over 300 peonies, expected to produce at least 7500 blooms every May. Hoping to plant up to 750 peony plants, Eric began working on an expansion last fall and when he finishes it, the garden will have 18,000 flowers every spring. "It's those four or five weeks around May that there's this visual representation that is not only representative of his love but all the work that goes into showing each other acts of love and kindness and service, all year long," Kristin told PEOPLE.

After seeing Eric toiling for years to bring the peony garden to life, his wife wanted to know why he was so dedicated to this pursuit. She was so pleasantly surprised that she had to share a video of his response to the world and it went viral with nearly 6 million views. Eric said, "When people are dating or when they're engaged, people will tell the whole world how much they love their partner. But then, as soon as we get married, we stop saying it out loud. And I think this grand gesture is my way of telling the whole world every spring how much I love my wife." 

People were touched by Eric's expression of love for his wife through actions rather than just words. "Even if he didn't say it, the earth will always know because he planted it," wrote @princetngirl818. "When a man loves you, you never question if he actually does. You feel it. It screams at you. Do not settle for someone who makes you ask if he loves you," remarked @gaeulela. "When words didn't quite do the job, he planted a garden of peonies," added @acrylicgenes.

You can follow Kristin Swenson (@helloitskristin) on TikTok for more relationship and gardening content.