“Bloom where you are planted” is a well-known quote said by the Bishop of Geneva, Saint Francis de Sales (1567–1622). This quote was later made more popular by artist and illustrator Mary Engelbreit. This quote came to mind today as I worked from my home office, trying to get a zillion things done — and feeling a little overwhelmed, like I… It’s perhaps not an idiom that’s heard very often, but if someone is told to bloom where he or she is planted, that means they should do their best under the current set of circumstances. It doesn’t mean a person can’t be transplanted elsewhere at a later date, and bloom in the new location. It means that just because the current location may not be all a person would like it to be is no reason not to do your best and thrive where that person is. The Basin Republican Rustler of May 24, 2007 in Wyoming published an advertisement from the Wyoming Real Estate Network that painted an idyllic picture of ten acres of land just waiting for the right person to build a dream home. Smartly priced at $120,000 the realtors hoped to catch people’s attention with the headline, “Bloom Where You’re Planted.” The Ocala Star Banner of August 29, 1987 ran the Paul Harvey column dealing with the issue of blooming where one is planted. From a religious as well as a political standpoint, the writer spoke about people, churches, and nations exceeding their grasp. He wrote about American adopting the good neighbor policy and all the while neglecting that one of the most important aspects of being a good neighbor is to mind one’s own business. Paul Harvey was of the opinion that if the United States started minding its own business that other countries might be inspired to follow suit, leading to affection and not resentment towards America and Americans. The article was title, “Bloom Where You’re Planted.” Over the generations, people have attributed bloom where you are planted to the Bible, and while that’s not exactly correct, the idiom does have a connection to the Catholic Church. The Bishop of Geneva, Saint Francis de Sales (1567-1622) is credited with having said the following:
And while the idiom may not appear in the Bible word for word, the spirit of bloom where you’re planted is found in a number of Bible passages including, but not limited to, 1 Corinthians 7:7-24 as well as Psalm 92:13 and Jeremiah 17:7-8. Later American graphic artist and children’s book illustrator Mary Engelbreit (born 5 June 1952) made the phrase popular when she included it — as well as artwork based on the phrase — in her book, “Mary Englebreit: The Art and the Artist“published in 1996. As we know, Paul Harvey used the phrase a decade earlier than the publication of Mary Engelbreit’s book, and it was used in a way that demonstrated that the readers of his column knew what it meant to bloom where one was planted. In fact, the American Church in Paris (France) has sponsored the “Bloom Where You’re Planted” full-day seminar since 1970. What all this means is that the spirit of the idiom has been around for centuries, but no matter how much research was done, Idiomation was unable to find a definitive date for when this exact phrase was first published.  So the other night I was talking to my wife, Kathleen about this phrase. At first glance, the phrase would seem to be entirely positive and inspirational. There are a few ways we could paraphrase the saying, but basically it boils down to, “do the best with what you have, wherever you are.” I have been wrestling with this phrase a bit and I am not sure I agree entirely with its premise. For context, I own a landscape firm and I have been working with plants professionally for the last decade. I will say that my bias with the phrase “bloom where you are planted” is that I have watched plants fail miserably where they are planted. Forget about blooming, they can’t even survive. Whether it is a lack of sun or the soil is poor, plants and trees tell us rather quickly whether or not they have any intention of blooming where they are planted. To prove the point, move a plant that is not happy from the shady north facing corner of the garden to a sunnier south facing area, and the plant begins to bloom indeed. Location matters to plants. In fact, for most plants and trees, location is everything!! Forgive me for stating the obvious. So how does this translate for us? How are we to bloom where we are planted? How are we to thrive in our lives if we are living in “too shady” or “too dry” a setting? It is fair to say that we all have different versions of how we would like to live. For some, the intensity and vibrancy of a metropolitan lifestyle is essential for happiness. For others, clearly a more rural, small-town setting is where they feel more comfortable. Is it that we are pre-wired for our spot in the “garden” of our life? Do we all have some “type” some “hard wiring” at birth that determines where we will “bloom?” What if that were true? What then becomes of the small town, mountain-loving, rural “type” if they are “planted” in the city? Can they ever feel at peace? Can they ever truly bloom? I don’t know where the ultimate wisdom lies. Perhaps, it really comes down to two things. Bloom where you are planted, BUT you better know who you are and understand that if you are “country” living in city, or “city” planted in the “country” you might want to make a change and get to the sunnier side of the garden. What do you think? Where does bloom where youre planted come from?And while the idiom may not appear in the Bible word for word, the spirit of bloom where you're planted is found in a number of Bible passages including, but not limited to, 1 Corinthians 7:7-24 as well as Psalm 92:13 and Jeremiah 17:7-8.
Who said bloom wherever you are planted?“Bloom where you are planted” is a well-known quote said by the Bishop of Geneva, Saint Francis de Sales (1567–1622). This quote was later made more popular by artist and illustrator Mary Engelbreit.
What does the saying bloom where you are planted mean?The expression "bloom where you're planted" means a person should take advantage of the opportunities they have in their life and be grateful for the present situation.
Where ever you are planted bloom with grace?Wherever God Plants You Bloom with Grace
He will strengthen your faith, and as your faith grows, you'll be able to bloom where God plants you and bloom with grace. How will you bloom this season?
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Who said bloom where you are planted
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