The sixth Alaska Peony Growers Conference drew over 75 attendees from around the state and beyond to a three-day conference in Homer over the weekend. The group included buyers and other interested parties from California, Oregon, Michigan and elsewhere.
“Peonies are a big deal in the state of Alaska because our bloom time happens when they are not blooming anywhere else,” grower Beth VanSant said. “We fill a gap in the market between the end of July into September when they aren’t growing any place else. They are such a huge beautiful blossom they make a real statement and they are popular for weddings, high end hotels and major events.”
Gathering at the Homer Elks Lodge Thursday through Saturday, the group heard from speakers on all aspects of the business, from fertilizing and crop protection chemicals to how best to use FedEx for shipping their flowers.
Their afternoons were devoted to touring local farms. Friday’s tours included Michelle LaFriniere and Michael Poole’s Chilly Root on Skyline Drive to look at field preparation and layout and Daisy Lee Bitter’s Kachemak Seascape Peonies, also on Skyline, for instruction on root division. Bitter’s farm has three separate fields of over 30 peony varieties. Her soil is rich loam with no chemical fertilizers applied. She said she does add lime to raise the ph toward 6.5. A solar-powered electric fence keeps her frequent visiting bears out of the flowers. At Bitter’s gardens, Andre Wiestra of Oregon Perennials demonstrated how to divide a large peony.
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