The state’s next major cash crop might be the tiny yet sumptuous blossoms. They require freezing temperatures to bloom, may survive in temperatures as low as 60 below, and can only be purchased in Alaska between the months of June and September, which is wedding season.
About five years ago, the state’s budding peony business began to take off with a few dozen farms from Homer to Fairbanks. In Alaska, the spectacular but beautiful flowers are now grown on approximately 50 huge farms thanks to an explosion in the larger commercial peony farming industry over the past several years. According to Ron Illingworth, president of North Pole Peonies and the state’s first commercial peony grower, dozens more are just getting started.
Within a few years, peony producers in the Mat-Su alone anticipate harvesting more than a million blossoms. Last week, the borough mayor dubbed the Valley the “Peony Capital of Alaska.”
Each peony costs approximately $5, occasionally a little less and occasionally somewhat more. Farmers and businesspeople alike are scurrying to keep up with demand for the new cash crop.
Cooperation extension agent Steve Brown from Palmer remarked, “I’m trying to find of a delicate manner… well, they smell money. “Alaska is the only place where peonies may be grown, despite this. That suggests a pretty sizable market.”
Fans of peonies are almost sensually awed by them. They refer to these huge blooms, which begin as tight round buds before abruptly exploding into flowers up to 10 inches across, as “luscious,” “flamboyant,” and even “the Dolly Partons of the garden.”
With their thick, ruffled petals in frothy layers, peonies are large but delicate flowers. They can be gentle pink, daring fuchsia, white with vivid red flashes, or milky. The brides adore them.
In the Lower 48, peonies blossom in May and June. In November and December, flowers are cut in New Zealand. During the wedding season from July through early September, Alaska is the only area in the world can obtain fresh-cut commercial peonies.
When “everyone was talking about the huge gold rush, we’re all going to be rich billionaires,” says Jonathan Spiegel, owner of Meadow Lakes Peony Farm in the Mat-Su, 200 peony roots were planted.
Spiegel and his wife, according to him, began modestly since they believed they knew little about farming.
“This land was ours. I didn’t want to build a dog kennel or a tonne of storage units on it because we intended to use it for something else “explained he. We anticipated that this would be peaceful and keep us out of the neighbours’ way.
The couple’s roots have grown to more than 900 today. In the spring and the fall, they will plant an additional 1,000 trees.
The general manager of a peony distribution centre in Meadow Lakes, Meghan Williams, remarked that “a lot of individuals have jumped in head first without looking.” But a lot of individuals find that this is a fairly viable market to get into with some hard work, sound business concepts, and patience.
Peonies are a crop for delayed gratification. The plants may need three to five years to produce flowers that are suitable for sale.
Growers claim that they might be picky when it comes to location and soil quality. Since no one we spoke to for this article was willing to reveal their secrets, we can only assume that a grower should at the very least have their soil tested before beginning. Peonies also prefer sunlight, soil with proper drainage, and a specific fertiliser schedule. Winter’s chill is necessary for the blooms to grow, but they also need a snowy covering for insulation.
Starting off can cost as much as $10 per plant, according to one producer. Add to that the toil required to make any farm profitable as well as the requirement to establish a strong business plan, marketing strategy, and distribution system.
The majority of growers are doing well, but others lose money if they don’t conduct enough research, according to Brown, the UAF extension agent.
For instance, one gardener invested thousands of dollars in roots to begin a peony farm but waited to collect a soil sample until the roots arrived. Brown examined the soil and offered fertiliser recommendations. The grower didn’t have the additional thousands of dollars that the fertiliser cost.
I don’t hear much from the people who are doing things correctly, he said. “The people ringing in extreme panic are the ones who are doing things incorrectly.”
The peony market is also being harmed by the inconsistent snowfall over the past two winters.
6,000 plants died last winter, according to Shelley Rainwater, owner of Glacier Peonies in Homer. Now that she has 2,000 in the ground, she is starting afresh.
She said that hay and beef cattle were grown using rainwater. Before peonies turn a profit, it may take years of arduous labour and obstacles, just like in any other type of cultivation.
“When you do the math, you realise that you could make X thousand dollars from this small plot of land. However, I believe that the expense of doing it is something that most people do not comprehend “She spoke. “I don’t advise anyone quitting their day job right soon. You either have to have a good reserve to start.”
With a few producers distributed from Anchorage and Copper Center to Bethel and even Juneau and Fort Yukon, farms are primarily concentrated in the Interior, Kenai Peninsula, and Mat-Su regions.
According to a survey conducted by the group in March, there are more farms in the Interior than anyplace else in the state, including the Mat-Su, at least among its members.
According to some producers, in part because of temperature variations that result in a staggered blooming date between Fairbanks and Homer, there is no competition among the remote locales.
At least for the time being, farmers claim that demand for the flowers is higher than supply. According to them, Alaskan suppliers respond to inquiries from markets in Asia like Taiwan as well as from all of North America.
Williams, whose parents operate a fly-in peony farm at the foot of Mount Susitna, said, “I’m getting queries from China, the U.K., and I had an enquiry from South Africa the other day.”
At a meeting last week, Williams informed the Mat-Su Assembly that “Dubai (is) asking about our peonies and wondering how they might acquire them from here.”
Growers around the state are forming cooperatives or other businesses as the demand for marketing and shipping increases as the peony industry grows.
One was established last fall and has 41 members in the Fairbanks area: the Arctic Alaska Peony Cooperative. Alaska Peony Distributors, a wholesale commercial packaging firm that manages marketing, sales, sorting and grading, packing and shipping, was established in the Valley by three farms.
According to Catherine Kershner, proprietor of Peony Express in Trapper Creek, “Most everything we harvest and sell will have to go out of here by FedEx.” “We choose them and put them in the chiller right away for 24 to 48 hours. The shelf life is extended. As orders come in, we’ll package them with an ice pack and contact FedEx.”
After some of the state’s earliest growers began experiencing prosperous harvests, the peony rush in Alaska started five or six years ago.
Professor of Horticulture Pat Holloway from the University of Alaska Fairbanks recognised the peony potential in this area.
In a conversation with Holloway about ten years ago, Illingworth—who, along with his wife Marji, is an emeritus professor at the university—mentioned a few peonies they had planted in their yard at the same time that Holloway was responding to an odd enquiry about growing the flowers in the far north.
According to the university, Illingworth planted 25 plants as part of Holloway’s investigation, which involved test plots in Fairbanks, Kenai, and Homer. One of the five kinds he attempted failed, but the other four performed “OK to fairly well.” The farm now contains 10,000 plants, and many more are planned.
The peony boom in Alaska was started by those early discoveries, but it has taken a while to bloom. There were perhaps 20 established peony producers in the state five years ago. More were beginning.
According to a survey by Illingworth and the Alaska Peony Growers Association, there are already close to 50 and at least another 50 are coming online.
According to the poll, almost 60% of respondents stated they weren’t even yet selling peonies, according to Illingworth, a founder member of the peony group.
Since these people have had peony roots in the ground for two or three years and are just moving into this, he added, “we’re talking significant increases coming in the next couple of years.”
What months are peony blooming months?
The peony has the fattest, most delicious petals and rich green foliage, making it outrageously attractive when it is in bloom. From spring to summer, savour stunning floral displays. Learn how to care for, grow, and plant peony.
About Peonies
Peonies are a perennial that will steal your breath away every year. The plants may even outlive you—some have been reported to survive for at least a century.
When Is Peony Season? When Do Peonies Bloom?
Peonies bloom from late spring through early summer, depending on your location and the variety of peony you’re growing.
Many nurseries offer early, midseason, and late blooming varieties, making it possible for you to stretch out the peony season over many weeks and enjoy those lovely blooms for as long as possible!
Peonies may thrive as far south as Zones 7 and 8, and they are hardy to Zone 3. The key to success in the majority of the United States is to provide full light and well-drained soil. Peonies even enjoy the winter’s coldness because it helps their buds grow.
Types of Peony Flowers
You can pick from six different varieties of peony flowers: anemone, single, Japanese, semi-double, double, and bomb. The odours of different plants also differ; some, like “Festiva Maxima” and “Duchesse de Nemours,” have seductive rose-like aromas, while others have a lemony scent or none at all.
Where to Plant Peonies
When planted as a low hedge or along sidewalks, peonies make excellent sentinels. As majestic and dignified as any flowering shrub, the peony’s bushy cluster of attractive glossy green leaves lasts all summer before turning purplish-red or gold in the fall.
Peonies work nicely with irises and roses in mixed borders and blossom alongside columbines, baptisias, and veronicas. Plant pink peonies with blue Nepeta or violets, then surround white peonies with yellow irises and a froth of forget-me-nots.
Peonies are not overly picky, but you should pick your place carefully because they dislike disruption and do not transplant well.
Although they can survive in partial shade, peonies like full sun, and they flower at their best in an area that receives 6 to 8 hours of sunlight per day.
Because of its huge flowers, peonies can become top-heavy in severe winds. Therefore, provide shelter. (If necessary, stakes can be used to hold them up.) Planting too close to trees or bushes will cause peony to compete with them for nutrients, sunlight, and moisture.
Grow peony in rich, wet, humus-rich soil that is deep, fertile, and well-draining. pH in the soil should be neutral.
When to Plant Peonies
As long as they are planted correctly and become established, peony plants require minimal upkeep. Note, however, that they do not respond well to transplanting, so you should plan your planting site accordingly.
- Plant peony in the fall: in the majority of the United States, in late September or early October, and even later in the fall in Zones 7 and 8. Your planting zone can be found here.
- If you need to move an established plant, the fall is the ideal season because the plant will be dormant.
- About six weeks before the ground freezes, peonies should be planted.
- While planting peonies in the spring is absolutely a possibility, the results aren’t always favourable. They often trail behind plants planted in the fall by roughly a year, according to experts.
How to Plant Peonies
- Peonies are typically offered as divisions of a 3- or 4-year-old plant, bare-root tubers with 3 to 5 eyes (buds).
- Peonies should be placed 3 to 4 feet apart to allow for enough air circulation. The development of disease can be facilitated by stagnant, damp air.
- In a sunny area, dig a generously sized hole that is about 2 feet deep and 2 feet wide. The inclusion of organic matter in the planting hole will improve the soil. Add additional compost to the soil to improve it if it’s sandy or heavy. Add about a cup of bonemeal to the ground. Find out more about soil improvements and getting the soil ready for planting.
- The roots should be positioned in the hole just 2 inches below the soil’s surface, with the root’s eyes facing upward on top of a mound of soil. Avoid planting too deeply! Choose early-blooming species, put them approximately 1 inch deep, and provide some shade in southern states.
- Backfill the hole after that, being careful to prevent soil settlement and a 2-inch root burying. Gently tamp the ground.
- Plant a container-grown peony no deeper than it was when it was in the pot.
- When planting, give everything plenty of water.
How to Care for Peonies
Young peony take time to develop, just like children. In order to establish themselves, blossom, and flourish, they typically require a few years. They eventually leave home on their own, fully grown and adjusted… No, that’s just kids, I suppose.
Peonies benefit from gentle neglect. They don’t require digging and dividing every few years like the majority of perennials do.
- Don’t use any fertiliser. Before planting, till the soil thoroughly while adding compost and a small amount of fertiliser.
- Early summer, after the peonies have flowered and you have deadheaded the blooms, is the ideal time to apply fertiliser (such as bonemeal, compost, or well-rotted manure) to a soil that is deficient in nutrients. Keep fertilising to a few years at most.
- assist the stems Peonies’ stems, which occasionally are not strong enough to hold their enormous blossoms, are the only part of their structure that may be considered weak. Think of structures that allow the plant to grow through the middle of the support, like three-legged metal peony rings or wire tomato cages.
- Peony blossoms should be deadheaded as soon as they start to fade, cutting to a sturdy leaf so that the stem doesn’t protrude through the foliage. To prevent any infections from overwintering, trim the foliage to the ground in the fall.
- Avoid covering peonies with mulch. For the first winter following planting, you can VERY LOOSELY mulch with pine needles or shredded bark when the winters are bitterly cold. In the spring, get rid of the mulch.
Peonies bloom between late spring and early summer, but by planting a variety of cultivars, you may arrange your garden for a succession of blooms from mid-May to late June. Here are a few options:
- ‘Early Scout’ has red solitary flowers that open incredibly early.
- “Firelight”: very early-blooming, single, pale-pink flowers
- ‘Karl Rosenfield’: double, midseason bloomer with substantial crimson blooms